


The Job of a Guardian

by The_Inkinator



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, BAMF Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Basically meaning my filter on the amount of times i say, Bloody Hell, Dabi and Todoroki Shouto Are Siblings, Dabi is a Todoroki, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, F/M, Gen, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, How Do I Tag, I channel my Britishness through Ron, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Kinda, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, Oblivious Ron Weasley, Past Child Abuse, Protective Bakugou Katsuki, Slow To Update, Tags May Change, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor Being An Asshole, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Shouto is Bad at Feelings, Work In Progress, but aren't compatible, do read them please, i apparently have no control over how much i write anymore, i lied when i said 2000 word per chapter..., is non-existant, may add other ships later on, not detailed, probably lots of gay, quirks and magic exist together, this is only a sub story that is briefly mentioned, todoroki is blind in his left eye, world building in the notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-01-13 07:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18463978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Inkinator/pseuds/The_Inkinator
Summary: As their school year comes to an end, Shouto Todoroki is given a mission in England. At first, he'd hated the idea. He'd finally found a lover, finally found friends, but nothing in his life would ever be that easy.His job was to travel to England, integrate himself into a society he didn't know existed until then, and protect a boy from an evil man who called himself the dark lord.





	1. Goodbye With The Known

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing here as my usual writing platform is Wattpad but I wanted to give this a go so let me know if there are any mistakes. Also, I tend to switch between first and last names for the characters. I do try and keep it consistent, but that doesn't always happen.
> 
> English - "[insert text]"  
> Japanese - "[ _insert text_ ]"

A quiet had fallen over U.A high school. Students had long before returned to their dorms.

In one particular classroom, the light filtered through the windows, casting an orange glow onto the only two students remaining. The sight was serene, however, in the eyes of the two boys, the sight was one of sadness.

The dimming sunlight reflected brilliantly off their faces. Tear tracks glistened and sparkled under the gentle kiss of the glowing rays. Neither boy spoke. While the tracks still remained, the tears had run dry. The silence was calming to the two. One boy held his head low while the other seemed contemplative." _Sho-_ " Once the silence was broken, the boy's eyes finally met.

" _Katsuki, I am so sorry._ " The boy's voice was ruff as he addressed the blonde opposite him. Never before had his voice contained such uncertainty as it did then.

" _I know Sho. I know you need to do this. I don't agree with it but I know it needs to be done._ " Katsuki Bakugou couldn't bring himself to be mad at Shouto for the job that had been forced upon him by the pro-heroes. His throat felt like it was being crushed under the strain of talking. Every word that was pushed passed his lips sounded wrong. He found himself biting his lip in a furious attempt to quench the sudden urge to sob. " _You need to go. I understand that._ " Bakugou couldn't hold back once he'd allowed his last defence down. He choked out a short sob, his breath shuddered as he tried to gain the upper-hand of his emotions once again. Warm arms wrapped around his lithe but steady frame. Despite his stuttering breaths, he smiled at a memory that surfaced within his mind. A memory of a time before they'd confessed to each other. Bakugou had asked Todoroki about his fire quirk. It had been an interesting conversation that had later turned into a confession from Todoroki. He'd confessed that he always listened if someone was complaining about the temperature of the room. He would then use his quirks to change it to suit them.

The remembrance and the constant supply of warmth calmed Bakugou down quickly, but he didn't release the other until he had his breath back completely. On one too many occasions Bakugou pulled away too soon and slipped back into disarray.

" _Still, I am sorry. I realise leaving will only hurt both of us, but it must be done. The place I am going doesn't have heroes as we do. I would feel guilty if I turned away someone who was asking for help._ " Shouto lifted Bakugou's chin and gave the recently taller male a small smile. Such an act was still rare even with how their lives had changed throughout their time at U.A, it brought a watery smile to Bakugou's own lips. A genuine smile instead of his usual cocky grin. 

The classroom door slid open startling the two out of their soft silence. Into the classroom came Eraserhead, All Might and another man. The third man was old, with a long beard that tucked into the belt of his purple robes. His eyes twinkled behind half-moon shaped glasses and there was a kind smile on his lips. Even the need to punch Midoriya in the face didn't rival with Bakugou's urge to punch the old man in his already crooked nose. " _Bakugou, you can leave now. You know you can't be here for the briefing._ " Aizawa's words were plain and harsh, but they seemed to contain underlying care to them. He might act nonchalant, but Bakugou knew he did care for his students.

" _Whatever._ " The blonde grumbled. He stood up and turned back to Todoroki. " _You look after yourself Half 'n Half, you got it?_ " He didn't let him reply before leaning down and leaving a peck upon the silent boy's lips. " _You'll send letters won't you?_ "

" _Of course. I will send one as soon as I have settled in, how does that sound?_ " Bakugou just kissed Todoroki on the lips again, turned and left the room. Todoroki took that as good. 

* * *

Todoroki sat with a suitcase resting against his chair leg. His red and white hair was untamed and his heterochromatic eyes reflected the glowing embers of the setting sun. Instead of his lover, sat opposite him were three men; two familiar and the third new. " _As you know, we chose you to do this job as you're one of our best students who's already ahead of studies up to this point in the course._ " Aizawa was the first to speak; completely business-like in his manner but still seemingly tired of everything at the same time. " _Due to the fact that you're underage, we still had to ask Endeavor's permission._ " There was a beat of silence.

" _Did he agree?_ "

" _No, but we knew his opinion never really mattered to you so I'll ask you instead. Do you want to partake in this mission?_ " Aizawa leaned forward. His eyes finally seemed to shimmer with something other than the will to sleep. Concern was not something common on his teacher's features, but none the less, the day had been filled with strange occurrences.

" _I do not want to go. However, I acknowledge that these people do not commonly ask for help from the outside world. If they are asking it must be important; this fact is not one I can ignore._ " Todoroki took a shaking breath and spoke with false confidence. " _It is not wanting to go. It is needing to go._ "

Aizawa nodded in understanding.

In the corner of his eye, the old man moved to retrieve something from within his robes. Todoroki turned his head to observe the two letters the man pulled from under the many layers. " _One is an admission letter to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and the other contains a key and a vault number for Gringotts bank._ " The man explained tentatively as he handed the parchment over to the teen.

Written in neat, curling Japanese was his name and an oddly specific address:

_**Mr S Todoroki** _

_**Class 1-A, Seat No. 15** _

_**U.A High School** _

_**Musutafu** _

_**Tokyo** _

Slowly he turned the envelope over. Todoroki reached up with shaking fingers to break the wax seal. Breaking it would mean he was fully committing himself to the job he'd been given. If he returned it before then he could stop; he could live happily with Bakugou and never have to worry about it ever again. Only that was the problem. He would worry about it. He would be filled with guilt for not offering his help when a closed off society was asking for help.

The sound of wax snapping and crumbling under strain filled the silent room. He'd chosen his path.

Aizawa and All Might could be heard quietly releasing breaths. They'd understood the weight of his actions as well.

 The contents of the envelope consisted of two pages of parchment. One page was his letter of acceptance while the other was a list of items he would need. It was a long list of mostly books, but there were other practical things upon it as well. He was even allowed a pet; either a cat, owl, or toad. " _As you can see. The list of items you will need to be able to study at this school is extensive. The first place I will be taking you once we arrive in England is an area we can buy all the required items with ease._ " The man smiled across to Todoroki. " _You will also need a wand, but I thought it would be safer if that wasn't mentioned in the letter just in case someone reads it._ "

All Might, who'd remained silent the entire exchange, finally decided to join the conversation by speaking directly to Todoroki. " _Since this is something we're doing behind your father's back, I suggest you don't keep contact with him while you're away. He'll just believe you are staying at the school dorms._   _Headmaster Nedzu has agreed we can forge replies should he ever attempt to contact you._ "

Todoroki nodded along with his words. He'd never been that close to All Might due to his father's hatred for the man, that didn't mean he didn't look up to him. He knew he'd never feel that connection to him like Midoriya did, but to him, that didn't really matter. " _When will we be leaving Professor?"_ His words were carefully chosen. Despite having agreed to go, he still was uncertain whether it was the correct choice or not.

" _Since you will be joining Hogwarts in your fifth year, you need to study the spells and magical theory up until that point. This fact means you'll have to be joining us sooner rather than later so we can tutor you._ " The professor looked hesitant to reveal how soon Todoroki would have to leave. That thought didn't bring comfort to him in any way. " _You'll need to catch up with four years worth of work. Given you are extremely good at studying from what I've seen, I'd say the shortest time will be 10 weeks. You'll have to leave now._ " The weight of his words settled in Todoroki's gut, heavy as lead. None of his friends would be able to see him throughout the holidays. He would be able to send letters if he got an owl, but he didn't know how long it would take for it to arrive.

The sun had finally dipped behind the mountains in the distance, casting the school in shadows. The sky had turned purple, and it was reaching the point that reading would be difficult. Todoroki took another look at the books he would need for the year to come and sighed. " _Let us go then._ "

The professor stood up and drew a stick from under his robes, similar to how he'd retrieved the envelopes. Todoroki watched in mild interest as the man pointed the stick at his luggage. "Reducio." The spell was in a foreign tongue, but it still had the desired effect. The half-red-half-white-haired boy watched as his suitcase and other bags shrunk down small enough for him to fit into his pocket. With another flick of his wand, the shrunken luggage was lifted off the ground and into Todoroki's open palm. He wasn't one to express his emotions, but the shock pulled his lips apart ever so slightly. Magic was pretty cool, even if it was similar to quirks. One person could do so many different things; they weren't limited to the stretches of their quirk. " _Now then my boy, follow me, please._ " Todoroki took one last look at the pro-heroes before turning and following the man out of the room. " _I do believe I neglected to introduce myself. I'm Albus Dumbledore._ _I'm the headmaster of Hogwarts._ "

" _Shouto Todoroki. There isn't anything that exciting about me other than my quirk._ " They walked through the halls to the entrance of the school. The silence that overfell them wasn't uncomfortable in any way. Todoroki presumed that was more on Dumbledore's part for radiating calm despite the teen's nerves.

The sky was dark by the time they'd reached the entrance of the building. Cars could be heard in the distance. There were several members of the press stood outside like usual. Todoroki pulled out a face mask from his back pocket and covered his face, even if his hair gave his identity away. On the ground in front of them was a dirty old boot. Dumbledore had stopped beside it and was smiling again at Todoroki. " _This will take us straight to England. We will need to wait a minute though, we're slightly early._ "

The press seemed to have noticed their presence after a few seconds and started calling out questions. Neither of them even turned to acknowledge their being there.

Eventually, Dumbledore picked up the boot and held it out to Todoroki. " _Keep a hold of it and don't let go, my boy._ "

A pale hand reached out and wrapped around the toe of the brown boot. Dirt crumbled under the fingers making Todoroki scrunch up his face in disgust. However, his expression turned to one of shock when he felt his stomach clench as the boot seemed to pull his arm even though it wasn't moving. Todoroki tightened his grip on the boot as he was pulled forward.

The world spun and lurched in all directions at once. One moment they were stood in front of U.A high school and the next they were standing on a cold, dank street.

The pavements were glistening with rain in the sunlight. Each house was identical to the one next to it. Todoroki found it slightly strange, even with the sun peeking from behind the thinning clouds, the streets remained dark and dreary. The bricks that made up the houses were grey and each window had some layer of dirt hiding the inside from onlookers.

Dumbledore placed the boot back on the floor, in the same position as before, but in a different country. They waited a moment, both of them watched the old, browning boot for something to happen. It seemed like nothing would after a minute of waiting, Todoroki was inclined to believe it was a regular boot again. He was proven wrong when it started to vibrate. He watched in interest as it seemed to collapse in on itself and vanish from sight. " _Is that what happened to us?"_ He didn't like the thought of that. The thought of being pulled into such a small space that you break through reality and appear in another place turned his stomach in all the wrong ways, but, then again, that was what using the boot had felt like.

" _Yes. It's called a portkey. We use them for longer travel. Shorter travel, we use apparition._ " Finally, Dumbledore turned away from the spot the boot had previously been in and as he explained, walked towards space between the eleventh house and the thirteenth. Wait. Todoroki did a double take. There wasn't a twelfth house. Before, it was as if he hadn't noticed the missing house on the street, but once he realised the house was missing, he was suddenly aware of a pressure in the air that made his chest feel tight and his legs slow to an uncomfortable pace. " _Ah, you noticed the missing aspect of this street. Number twelve is where we're heading. You'll see it soon._ " Todoroki frowned in confusion at Dumbledore's words.

" _How can we go to a house that doesn't exist?"_  Todoroki looked up to the older man and saw him smiling over his shoulder. Dumbledore winked at the teen.

" _If I told you, it would ruin the magic of it._ " The closer to the houses they got the tighter the pressure gripped at Todoroki's entire being. It felt like it was repelling him away from the place. He didn't know if Dumbledore was feeling that same anti-attraction force or not, but he didn't seem affected by it nearly as much as Todoroki. Closer and closer they drew to the houses.

Then, they came to a stop before the small space of wall between eleven and thirteen. The pressure that had been pushing him away from the neat row of grey brick buildings vanished. He sucked in a breath that he hadn't previously been able to take. A frown formed on his face in confusion when the buildings in front of him began to shake and rumble. The only analogy he could think of was when Mt Lady tried to walk in giant form between buildings with only a single lane road separating them.

Confusion was only one of the emotions that flicked through Todoroki's mind as he watched the two building pull apart and contract to fit another house between them. Awe overtook any rational thought as he stared up at the building where the small wall had previously been. Despite the grey bricks being previously hidden from sight, they looked like they'd always been there. The edges of the new building blended perfectly with the surrounding clay work, and if Todoroki hadn't just watched it emerge from between two other buildings, he would have presumed it had always been there. " _Welcome to Twelve Grimmauld Place. Home to the Order of the Pheonix._ "


	2. A New Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some inspiration for this in the middle of the night when I couldn't write it so I'm going to try and activate that again.
> 
> Kinda lost the inspiration to write this but I'm going to persevere and try to make this chapter as good a quality as the last. Hope you enjoy. Criticism is welcome so long as it's constructive! 
> 
> I apologise in advance if Todoroki seems really ooc but I've only watched two seasons of the anime and read a bunch of fanfic (which isn't the worlds best source). I'm trying to make him as in character as possible but no promises.
> 
> English - "[insert text]"  
> Japanese - "[ _insert text_ ]"

The inside of Grimmauld Place was as grimy as the brickwork outside. The entrance hallway didn't contain much decoration, there was a small table off to the side with a few pictures upon, but most looked like the faces had been burned away. The wallpaper was peeling away, revealing the mouldy plaster underneath and sometimes, even the crumbling breeze blocks used for the foundations of the walls. Everything, including the well-worn floorboards, was covered in a thick layer of browning dust.

A gentle gust came through from the far end of the hall and caressed Todoroki's cheeks. It picked up some of the dust that lay loosely on the floor and swirled it around on the spot. Silently it formed a shape, something that resembled a person. He'd been wondering why they hadn't advanced into the house yet, but he was beginning to suspect there was a reason. More and more the dust twisted together to form the unknown figure. Todoroki felt his features twitch into a frown, realising the shape vaguely resembled Dumbledore. One moment the dust was dancing in the air and the next, a look-a-like of Dumbledore lurched forward with its hand outstretched towards his throat. Involuntarily, Todoroki let out a gasp and stepped back from the fading figure. As fast as the dust-man had formed, it had fallen into another dust pile at their feet.

Dumbledore turned to face him and gave a warm smile. " _Now, before we go meet the others. Your hair may draw some unwanted attention. With your permission, there's a spell that can make it seem like it's a different colour than it actually is._ " He drew his wand but made no move to cast the spell. Todoroki knew his hair might draw unwanted attention so agreed, it was better than his idea of dying his hair for the entire year. His father would certainly punish him for that, if not for leaving the country without permission.

He nodded. " _It would be for the best to not draw too much suspicion to myself._ "

Dumbledore widened his smile and raised his wand towards Todoroki's hair. "Colovaria." The word was simple but Todoroki felt the power behind it. Even in the dim light of the dingy hallway, it was possible to notice the change; the few strands of his hair he could see turned from red and white to black. Todoroki took a few strands of his fringe and pulled them down to look. It reminded him of Dabi's hair for some reason.

Turning to look further into the house from where he stood, Todoroki could see a set of stairs running parallel to the hallway and at the end, a kitchen. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to Dumbledore who had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, behind his half-moon glasses. The professor led Todoroki into the kitchen. Inside was a large group of people, most of them had fiery red hair, not dissimilar to Kirishima's. Each of them stopped what they were doing to look up at them. Todoroki had to fight with his expression to keep his discomfort off of his face. He couldn't say he enjoyed the spotlight like others in his class.

Dumbledore began speaking to them in English. "Everyone, this is Shouto Todoroki. He's an exchange student from Japan." A small lady with bright red hair rushed forward and smiled kindly at him. She then proceeded to pull him into a tight hug. He merely blinked and tensed until she let go. He wasn't entirely sure on how to react to her affection. Bakugou wasn't the type to hug so they rarely did it anyway, meaning it was something he was ill-educated to.

"Hello there. I'm Molly Weasley. Are you hungry, I know it was probably quite late in Japan." Todoroki felt his lips twitch at the kind gesture. He wasn't used to it and it almost showed on his face, but he schooled his expression quickly.

"I ate before I came, but thank you for the offer, Mrs Weasley." He bowed slightly to her, and let a small smile form on his face. She nodded and returned to her original position, probably making lunch for everyone.

Todoroki took the moment of silence to take a look at every one. There were six red-haired people. Two of them were adults, including Mrs Weasley. Todoroki presumed they were the parents. There was a young girl sat at the long wooden table watching everyone silently with an intrigued look in her eyes. There were the two older boys that appeared with a pop into the room after he'd entered. They looked identical so he presumed they were twins. Then there was another boy who was stood protectively beside a girl with brown, bushy hair.

The bushy-haired girl noticed his eyes land on hers and stepped forward. The boy beside her taking one step to follow her before stopping. "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand to him and smiled politely. She had an air of sophistication about her. He didn't want to make any more guesses about people but she reminded him of Iida.

"Pleasure to meet you too. Who's the over-protective friend?" She spun around and huffed in annoyance at the red-head who'd taken another step closer.

"Ronald I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself and besides, Dumbledore wouldn't have brought him here if he wasn't trustworthy." She turned back to face him and gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, This is Ronald Weasley."

Before Todoroki could greet him as well he was cut off by the female red-head. "How'd you get that burn on your eye?"

"Dumbledore brought me here to get to know some students before the start of the school year. I do not understand how me being here could lead to distrust." Most of what he said was a lie, but he figured he wasn't allowed to tell the whole truth to them. He could see Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye, nodding slightly at his words.

"Hey, I asked you a question." The girl had stood up and made her way over to them. Todoroki turned and raised an eyebrow on his stoic face.

"And I chose to ignore it as I do not just go around telling people about my scar." She blushed and muttered an apology and went off towards Mrs Weasley.

"Sorry about her, that was Ginny. she's the youngest Weasley." Todoroki glanced over his shoulder at the person who spoke. It was one of the twins. "Hey, I'm Gred."

"And I'm Feorge." Called the other one who was stood beside him. Todoroki stared at them with a blank face then tilted his head to the side.

"Don't you mean Fred and George?" The twins seemed to visibly deflate at his words. He frowned slightly in confusion at their reactions. "Did I say something wrong. Sorry, I did not mean to be rude." He watched as they perked up again just as quickly as they'd deflated. They didn't get to say anything though, because Mrs Weasley called to all of them to sit down at the table.

"Shouto, if you want to take your stuff upstairs you can. I'm sure Sirius can spare a moment to show you the way." She turned to glare at one of the older looking men at the table. He had long, shaggy, black hair and wore an old fashioned suit sort of outfit. He looked up from his food after a brief moment.

"Sorry. Did you want something Molly?" He looked only slightly apologetic as he swallowed his mouthful of food and waited for Mrs Weasley to say something.

"Will you please show Shouto to the room he'll be staying in if he wishes to go." It wasn't a question. Todoroki knew a demand when he heard one. He would have been inclined to compare her to his father if it wasn't for the fact that she'd immediately asked a question of well-being the second he entered the room. Of course, the glare still had the same effect as his father's. Sirius nodded and turned his head to smile as Todoroki. He didn't reciprocate it. He just stood up and allowed Sirius to lead him out of the room and towards the staircase he'd seen previously.

The walls were painted with flaking, grey paint. Each step he took caused him to wince discretely. The dusty floorboards creaked underfoot at the slightest of movements. As he glanced around, he could see each corner held a multitude of cobwebs and dead flies. He kept his face blank against his discomfort. The dirt that covered every inch of the house made him want to leave the immediate vicinity. The unkempt, abandoned look to the entire house made him think no one had lived there for over a decade.

After climbing two sets of stairs, Sirius turned down a hallway. It was relatively dark. No lights lit up the hallways, yet it was still possible to notice an unnatural glow to the corridor. It seemed as though someone had attempted to clean that section of the house. Someone appeared to have tried to clean the hallway up. Probably in an attempt to get rid of the thick layer of dust that added an inch to every surface.

They reached a door closer to the end of the hallway. Sirius gave a timid smile as he twisted the doorknob and led them both into the room. "You'll be staying with Ron in here. The bathroom is the last door on the right. Don't be scared to ask for anything." Todoroki nodded in acknowledgement. Sirius left the room. Todoroki took a moment to look around the room. It was slightly more clean than the rest of the house. He imagined Mrs Weasley wouldn't have wanted one of her sons sleeping in a dirty room. The walls were stripped bare and scrubbed down to the plaster. The beds were two simple cots with rusting metal frames. He felt a chuckle tickle the back of his throat when he noticed the pristine white sheets that adorned the less than stellar beds.

One bed already had pyjamas screwed up on the pillow. The sheets were also tangled together in a clear attempt to make the bed look somewhat presentable.

He didn't bother to look at the bed any longer and wandered over to the other bed. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out his shrunken luggage and placed them on the pillow. Curiously he wondered if the spell that was cast to make them small would wear off on its own or not.

He was broken out of his musing by a knock on the door. Todoroki turned to face the wooden panel that was the door and waited for the person to enter. After a brief moment, the door was pushed open to reveal Dumbledore on the other side. " _Ah, I forgot about your bags..._ " Once again Dumbledore drew his wand and, much like before, moved his wand along with the incantation. "Engorgio." He watched in silent amazement at the magic that reversed the shrinking spell from before. He realised his wonder was beginning to show on his face so he quickly blanked his face. " _Now then, how about we get you your school supplies?"_ Nodding, Todoroki reached for the unopened letter that contained the key to his vault in the wizard bank. He tucked it inside his blazer and walked over to Dumbledore. " _Now, we're going to apparate there so you may become very nauseated. Do try and stay standing. Oh, and don't let go._ " Dumbledore linked his arm with Todoroki's and waved his wand once again. The same tugging feeling from when they'd used the portkey returned, but with more vigour than before. The world spun and collapsed in on itself all at once. For the briefest second all of his senses screamed. Then, as suddenly as it began, it all stopped.

Slowly his eyes came back into focus. Todoroki found himself standing off to the side of a busy looking street filled with bright and colourful shops. All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness befell him. He felt his weight shift sideways and quickly moved to counter it, and stay upright. After taking a moment to gather his balance again, he looked around once more to fully inspect his surroundings. Lining the street were different shops, all with different things to sell. He could see an owlery opposite a general pet shop; a shop for brooms and various other things for something called Quidditch; a clothes shop further down the street that appeared to sell robes. At the end of the street, there was a tall building. It stood towering over every other building on the street. Around its edges were huge pillars that supported the sides, and before the castle-like doors, there was a set of stairs made of white marble. " _Welcome to_ Diagon Alley," Dumbledore spoke in his usual soft voice while gesturing to the cobbled street before them. " _First we will get you a wand._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this, I've made Todoroki fluent in English, because I don't think there is a spell for translating a language as a person speaks, and I didn't want to make one up. I don't know if he is in the actual anime or manga, but I came up with the reason that Endeavour would want him to be able to speak English to be a more successful hero. It just made logical sense in my head to have that as a reason for no translation spell.
> 
> Furthermore, wizards will know about quirks but only on a basic level and cannot have them themselves. Shouto will have to hide his quirk for this reason, as a wizard (he'll be posing as one during the school year) cannot have magic and a quirk -in this universe, the two things are not compatible-.
> 
> In these notes, I'll do a bit of world building so you can understand my reasoning for the decisions I make and how different things work in the universe I've created. (If the notes don't fit here then they'll be with the main story.)


	3. Window Shopping Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to get around to. I've been busy with exams and work lately. I'm going to try and update this more frequently but I can't make any promises. Thank you for waiting though.
> 
> I don't think this is as good a chapter as the last and I may even end up re-writing it but I tend to try and not do that if I can help it. I apologise if Todoroki is ooc again, I wasn't sure how to write him in this and because of that I found I struggled with writing this how I wanted to, so, in the end, I ended up forgoing trying to make it super in character and just wrote what felt right at the time.

The streets were calm, making it easy to move around. Dumbledore had explained that students didn't receive their supply list until much later in the summer. They approached the tallest building in the street; it was far more intimidating up close. The door itself was around as tall as Mt Lady. Todoroki noticed a plaque beside the colossus door. The words upon it were engraved and well-kept.

 **'Enter stranger, but take heed  
** **Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
** **For those who take, but do not earn,  
** **Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
** **So if you seek beneath our floors  
** **A treasure that was never yours,  
** **Thief, you have been warned, beware  
** **Of finding more than treasure there.'**

The words were intimidating and Todoroki was aware that the common fear of the unknown would discourage any thief from attempting to break into the building. Although, given that he was in the world of wizards, he was inclined to believe that something did reside in the building. He turned to examine the rest of the front in more detail but didn't get the chance as he was guided inside by Dumbledore. The inside was even more grandeur than the outside. The floor was made entirely of marble fading between greys and off-whites. Todoroki was half inclined to believe his ice wouldn't even stay on its surface should he try to. " _Welcome to_ Gringotts Bank _._   _They're keeping your wand here along with some wizarding money I transferred into a vault for you._ " He looked up to Dumbledore and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely sure why Dumbledore decided to open a vault for him. He wasn't going to be a permanent member of their society. They walked down the hall towards a single desk directly in front of them. The walkway to that desk was lined with other desks with signs above them describing the purpose of them. He could spot a few with words he recognised, but most were too complicated for him to completely know the meaning of. Behind each desk were men and women, all with pointed features. " _Goblins; Excellent bankers if I do say so myself._ " He wasn't sure how to react to the revelation that Goblins existed. They, at his best guess, were probably creatures that hid alongside the wizards and witches. Glancing at them once more he returned to looking in the direction they were walking.

They arrived at a desk at the end of the hall. Above it was a sign with words in a swirling text Todoroki struggled to read. He hadn't noticed how tall it was from a distance, but up close he realised he couldn't see over the top of it, and neither could Dumbledore. The Goblin working at the desk continued with his work without paying them any attention. Dumbledore stood patiently until the Goblin finally looked up. It seemed to give the headmaster a kind of smile, laying down its quill. Todoroki found himself suddenly noticing, in his peripheral vision, that all the other Goblins also used quills. He found it odd, wouldn't it be more efficient to use pens instead. He made a note to ask Dumbledore about it afterwards. "How may I help you today, Professor?"

Dumbledore gestured for Todoroki to hand over his letter containing the key and vault number. "Master Todoroki would like to make a withdrawal from this vault." The Goblin took the letter from Todoroki's hand with gentle hands. He was almost surprised at how delicately he handled the parchment. The letter was removed, the Goblin almost seemed shocked when he read it.

"Vault 815." It gestured for another goblin to come forward. "Take them down." Dumbledore nodded his thanks to the Goblin and followed after the other Goblin. Todoroki bowed slightly and moved quickly to not be left behind. Despite their size, Goblins walked quickly. Despite them being rather grumpy creatures, they almost reminded him of Midoriya, only without the anxious behaviour. Small, but by no means frail.

Behind the door was a cave system. The marble floor gave way to a stone pathway that led to a cart on rails. The Goblin climbed in first. Dumbledore followed closely behind and grinned over his shoulder at Todoroki like he knew something the younger didn't; He probably did. He stepped over the barrier and into the cart and sat down beside the older. " _Hold on to something._ " Todoroki did as instructed. Confusion almost presented itself on his face, but instead came mild horror. He was suddenly pressed back in the seat. The cart barreled down into the caves. His whole body was thrown from side to side as they swerved narrowly around stalactites larger than himself. At one point the cart's wheels spun over his head while the main body remained upright. Throughout the journey, Dumbledore grinned widely. Todoroki imagined his classmates would have enjoyed the ride, but he couldn't get past the jarring horror of the surprisingly smooth but stomach-turning journey.

Once they finally came to a stop, Todoroki released his white-knuckle grip on the handlebar. The Goblin looked mildly amused as he stepped off the cart, bringing a lantern Todoroki hadn't noticed before with him. His shoes on the cobbles echoed in the eerily quiet corridor. Pillars of marble marked the division between the cart track and hallway. Above the door directly in front of them were the numbers '815'. The door itself was decorated with pictures of people. As Todoroki got closer, he could see the there was a carving of nine people all facing another person. One of the carvings looked strangely like Midoriya and another like All Might. Right at the top of the door was a carving of a baby surrounded by light. He smiled when he realised it was a depiction of the first quirk.

His attention was drawn back towards the Goblin as the small creature approached the door with the key in hand. Curiously he watched as the Goblin placed the key into the lock and turned it. He didn't move to open the door though. " _Master Todoroki. Place your hands on the doors._ " His eyes widened in shock, but he stepped forward none the less. His hands reached up and settled on the wood. " _Now, please activate your quirk._ " Realisation dawned on his features and his left hand started burning orange flames. His right hand became coated in ice. He could hear the lock clicking. Blinking in shock at the strange mechanism, he remained steady until the door slowly started to open. Todoroki stepped back and watched as the doors swung open freely. Inside the room was filled with gold, silver and bronze coins. Slowly he took a step inside the vault.

Once beyond the door, he spotted a few pieces of support gear, including a capture-weapon that looked identical to Aizawa's. He made his way over to that first. Scanning over the items, he found a pair of bracelets designed to stop someone from using their quirk. He didn't need them, but he figured it would be safer to have them. Todoroki picked them up, and carefully slid them onto his wrists, adjusting the size so they were comfortable. Nodding to himself, he turned around and came face to face with Dumbledore. The man was standing there with his usual smile on his face holding a long, thin box. Todoroki slowly reached out for it and took it gently. " _Unfortunately, magic and quirks are something of a complicated matter. Someone with a quirk cannot have magic, and the same the other way around. This fact made our job a little more difficult._ " Todoroki lifted the lid of the box, revealing a long stick, about eleven inches in length. The stick was carved with markings that made it look like the stick was coated in ice. It also had a handle that was decorated with small carvings of flames. A small smile formed on his lips at the beautiful craftsmanship on the wand.

" _If I cannot use magic, why have you given me a wand?_ _"_ Todoroki looked up at the man in confusion. He knew that those without magic couldn't learn to use it, but still, he'd thought there was a way he could harness it while at Hogwarts.

" _Well, people would notice if you never drew a wand or cast a spell during your time here. What I've given you is not a wand; It doesn't have a magical core but instead has an enchantment that allows the wielder to copy any spell that is cast before it. The staff at Hogwarts will be knowledgable about this and will ensure to cast any spell you'll need in a lesson before you need to use it. However, given that the ministry does not trust me, they will likely appoint someone to become a teacher at Hogwarts. Whomever this is won't know about you and so you will have to find a way around that yourself._ " Dumbledore explained as he pulled a small satchel from inside his robes and started collecting coins for the younger. Todoroki picked the wand up out of the box and turned it over in his hand. " _Hopefully you shouldn't have too much trouble while at Hogwarts wherein you cannot use the wand."_  He placed it back inside the box and moved to follow Dumbledore out of the vault. The Goblin was still stood outside, holding the lantern.

On the ride back to the surface, Dumbledore explained Hogwarts a bit more. He went through the school rules and which ones Todoroki would more likely be able to bend while he was there. At one point Dumbledore mentioned the Forbidden Forest. " _Would I be able to train my quirk there. I know I am not supposed to use it, but keeping it locked up will make it more prone to lash out._ " Dumbledore contemplated the request for a moment before nodding.

" _I'm sure you can handle yourself should the creatures there bother you, and none of the students will be going there so you won't run the risk of them seeing you. I don't see any problem with it._ " Todoroki relaxed at the thought of not having to keep his quirk under lock-and-key all year.

Once they were on the streets again Dumbledore requested they look at the list to see what they should get first. After a glance over the parchment, they decided to get Todoroki measured for robes first and come back at the end to collect them. Dumbledore led them across the street to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. The shop was a small store, hidden but also easy to find. The windows displayed robes of various styles. One such set were the ones they would be buying, school robes. They stepped inside, a small ding ringing through the shop from a bell. Todoroki glanced up, there wasn't a bell. He almost chuckled at the revelation that it was magic. A short lady came hurrying through with a wide smile on her face. "Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions!" She took one look at Todoroki before ushering him into the back of the shop. "I'm Madam Malkin! It's lovely to meet you. Is it school robes you're looking for?" Todoroki found himself almost overwhelmed with Madam Malkin's chipper personality. For a rather squat lady, she was incredibly bubbly. He forced a small smile onto his face to be polite. She grinned widely. "Well aren't you just the strapping you lad! I bet all the ladies have their eyes on you." Todoroki pulled a face of shock when she mentioned his looks. He'd never considered himself handsome; The scar on his face prevented that. Before, girls had commented that he was Class 1-A's pretty boy and even Bakugou had called him 'pretty boy' when they'd first met.

"Uh, not really. I actually, uh. I have a boyfriend." Her grin only widened as she gestured for him to step up onto the podium.

"Oh really! What's he like?" Todoroki was startled by her reaction. He'd believed her reaction would be outdated, much like the world she lived in.

"He's wonderful. At first, he was quite brash; He never let anyone close to him." She smiled as she measured him. "He did not know how to express himself very well so he usually went about caring for people in a rather aggressive manner." He smiled warmly at the thought of Bakugou's confession. He'd grabbed Todoroki and pulled him into a secluded hallway and grumbled out that he cared for Todoroki and wanted to date him.

"That sounds adorable." She finally stepped away, turning to rummage through the racks. "Well. What school are you going to? Hogwarts, I presume." He made a noise of confirmation. "Where are you transferring from, you don't sound English." Confusion filled his expression. He turned to look at Dumbledore in the hopes that he would answer. The man didn't see him looking as he was busy slipping a few sweets into his robes.

"Oh, uh... Japan." She spun around holding a few items of clothing and grinned again. Todoroki let her push him towards a row of curtains, where he presumed were the changing rooms.

"Oh, I've always wanted to go to Japan. What's it like?" She handed him the clothes and sent him into one of the stalls. As he undressed, he gave his best description of his home town and what it was like in Japan compared to England. He emerged from the stall as he finished talking. She was still stood there, listening intently, much to his surprise. He followed her back over to the pedestal, letting her flitter around him again. "It sounds wonderful. Perhaps I'll move it further up my to-do list." She spoke with a chuckle.

Finally, she stepped back and nodded, gesturing for him to return to the stalls. "The robes don't need much adjustment so it shouldn't take long. You can pay once they're finished." Todoroki bowed slightly and thanked her. Dumbledore approached again, grinning widely, thanking Madam Malkin, as well, as they left the shop.

Back out on the street, Todoroki could see the crowds were starting to thin as the hours passed. Dumbledore glanced over the list once more before speaking. " _How about I collect all the books and school supplies? I'm sure you won't want to do that._ " Todoroki looked up at the man with a blank face and confusion shining in his eyes.

" _What should I do in the mean-time?"_

" _Why don't you head over to Magical Menagerie and see if there are any pets you'd wish to accompany you?"_ Dumbledore smiled down, once again Todoroki noticed the twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon glasses. He nodded, compelled to see what the wizarding pets were like. Dumbledore made haste towards a bookstore while Todoroki slowly wandered along the alley looking for the shop he'd been informed to look into. He discovered it was the general pet shop he had seen when he'd first arrived. His hand hovered over the door handle for a brief moment; That was enough time for someone to approach from behind and get impatient with him.

"Move out of the way scum." He turned to face the voice. He kept his face blank when he found himself facing a boy his height with platinum blonde hair. Todoroki could tell the boy came from a rich family. He knew the posture the boy held well; he'd been forced to use himself in the past. "Well? Don't just stand there! Move!" The blonde snapped once again. Without thinking, Todoroki shrugged and spoke up finally.

"You could always ask nicely, or are you incapable?" He watched in quiet satisfaction as the boy turned red in anger.

"Do you know who I am? I won't be spoken to like that by some low life." Todoroki rolled his eyes and was about to retort when suddenly an unfamiliar weight landed on his shoulder. The boy's eyes widened, but Todoroki ignored it in favour of seeing what the weight was. Perched on his shoulder was a bird. It stood tall and proud beside him, its chest was puffed out. Todoroki gaped slightly in confusion when he realised the bird seemed to have blue feathers that he'd previously thought were black.

"Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry!" He turned to face the young lady who appeared to have chased after the bird from within the shop. "He arrived this morning. I haven't had time to figure out who sent him!" Todoroki smiled politely at the girl and reached up to nudge the bird off his shoulder. Both the boy and girl cried out in shock and his fingers paused. "You can't touch him! Phoenixes are very proud creatures, you can't just touch-" The Phoenix leaned down and brushed against his fingers. "-them." She paused, watching the bird curiously. Todoroki reached up and gently stroked the bird's head.

"It cannot be that difficult, clearly," Todoroki mumbled mostly to himself. The blonde remained gaping in shock.

"Oh, wait! A letter arrived with the bird, from someone who called themselves Dabi. Do you know the name?" Todoroki looked up in shock. A frown set upon his features as he nodded glumly. He'd hoped he wouldn't have had to deal with the League of Villains while in England. She hurried back inside the shop and handed him an unopened envelope. Quickly the Phoenix snatched it out of her hand. He then, more gently, handed it to Todoroki. The girl giggled at the bird while the blonde grumbled in confusion. "I didn't open it, because it was none of my business, but I suppose it's probably for you since the Phoenix took such a quick liking to you." Carefully he broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter.

* * *

 

**_Dear Little Todoroki Shouto._ **

**_I'm sorry for writing Dabi on the front, but I figured you wouldn't open it if you didn't know who it was from_** **_._ **

**_I sent you my favourite bird once I found out you'd be heading to England for the next year._ **

**_His name's Rin. He's got a bit of a habit of burning up at random times, but he can use his flames to travel quickly across continents._ **

**_Please use him to keep in touch with your friends and boyfriend (I know that's probably your main concern)._ **

**_Ask the nice lady who runs the shop I've sent him to, what things you'll need to take care of him._ **

**_Good luck._ **

**_Touya._ **

* * *

The letter was neatly written in a handwriting he didn't recognise, but the name at the bottom suggested he should. Endeavor had always told him that Touya had died, consumed by his flames. Todoroki hadn't believed it then; He certainly didn't believe it with the letter in his hand. He buried his confusion and handed the letter back to the bird. " _Can you burn this for me?"_ Surprisingly the bird complied with his request and set the letter on fire. "How much for the Phoenix?" He startled the girl out of her shock and quickly she shook her head.

"Oh, no. I was only holding him until his owner showed up. I can offer you the stuff you need to look after him, though." Todoroki gave her a small smile, following her into the shop. He heard the blonde boy spluttering in shock as the door closed. She walked him through all the different things he would need to take care of the Phoenix. He quickly figured out the bird hated the birdcage she'd offered him so opted to forgo that.

Eventually, he had everything he needed and handed the girl the coins for the items. There was a small smile on his face the entire time. Once he was out of the shop he wandered through the alley for a while longer. It was interesting to see all the different things people could buy around the place. He stopped in front of a quidditch shop and examined the brooms hanging in the window. He remembered Dumbledore mentioning only students on the quidditch team was allowed to have a broom. He'd never been very invested in sports; he'd never had the chance to even learn how to play them in the past. He looked at the coins he had on him and clenched them in his hand.

Todoroki emerged from the shop a few minutes later, a broom case slung over his shoulder and a book clutched to his chest. The bag of pet stuff hung in his other hand. Rin was resting on his free shoulder. Deciding he had explored enough he made his way back to Madam Malkin's to see if the robes were finished.

Much to his surprised Dumbledore was waiting outside with several books stacked at his side and a few other items piled into a cauldron. He smiled politely at Todoroki as he approached. " _Ah, I see you've found a Phoenix. Quite a rare one as well. Most have red flames._ " Todoroki smiled politely and explained what had happened. They both entered the shop and continued talking when they saw Madam Malkin was busy with another customer. Dumbledore, having made the books and cauldron of items float behind him, chattered about how he'd enjoyed quidditch when he was a student. He peered over to Madam Malkin and saw she was dressing the boy he'd bumped into before. Off to the side, was another man that looked strikingly similar to the boy, but his hair was longer and he had an air of authority. The man spotted Dumbledore and grimaced. " _That's Lucius Malfoy, you'll do good to avoid encounters with him or his son,_ " Dumbledore spoke out the side of his mouth, not bothering to keep his voice down.

" _It is a bit late for that. Unfortunately, I bumped into his son when I got Rin._ " Dumbledore made a sound of understanding and looked directly at the pretty owl perched in a cage by Lucius' feet. Todoroki almost chuckled but kept a straight face as Lucius turned to look directly at him.

"Who do we have here?" Lucius Malfoy spoke with a cold, calculating tone. It wasn't unlike Endeavor's but contained far less seething anger; It seemed to be more reserved.

"This is Shouto Todoroki. He's an exchange student from Japan's school of Magic coming to Hogwarts for this year and possibly more." Dumbledore smiled politely at Lucius, although he had a distaste for the man. Todoroki briefly wondered if Dumbledore had the urge to punch Lucius like Bakugou would have done in their situation.

"He's a bloody fool, that's what he is," Malfoy called across from where he was stood. Todoroki suddenly understood why Bakugou was always so angry at people.

"Now, now Draco. That's no way to speak to a soon-to-be classmate. You shouldn't speak so rudely." Draco only smirked while he glared at Todoroki. Instead of replying, he opened his new quidditch book and began reading the rules of play. "Well, perhaps you should teach the exchange student some manners as well."

Before Dumbledore could reply, Todoroki quickly chipped in. "The same way you teach your son? I've met a pervert that should be in jail who had more manners than Draco. Hell, my father has more, and he's more likely to burn you alive for talking to him than exchange pleasantries." He looked up from the book and stared at them with the best blank expression he could hold, and he knew his face showed no emotion what-so-ever after his years of hiding his feelings. The two Malfoys gaped at him in pure, unbridled anger. Keeping his expression blank he returned to reading his book.

Eventually, the two Malfoys left without exchanging another word with the two. Madam Malkin hurried over and presented the bag of robes for Todoroki. "They should fit you perfectly now. Since you stood up to those awful two, I also put in a winter cloak, so you don't have to buy one another time. It won't be added to the final price." They thanked her, paid and left.

"Now then, I do believe we've got everything." Dumbledore and Todoroki both went over the list again to double-check before concluding that they did have everything. Once again Todoroki linked his arm with Dumbledore's and they apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Todoroki is referred to as Master in this. I realised I should have addressed him like this in the first chapter as well but forgot about it. It's used for someone that is under 18 in the UK so it would make sense that they address him like this. Sorry if that's not something commonly used outside of the UK but I figured I would add it since this is set in the UK.
> 
> If you spotted the reference I made with Todoroki's vault number you're an actual legend.
> 
> The way I've decided to describe the relationship between magic and quirks is kind of complicated. If you imagine each person has a container in their body, it either contains magic or quirk energy. At birth, there is an equal chance of the container filling with either. That explains why you get muggle-borns and squibs. However, for someone to be born 'quirkless' and without magic the container would have to fill with both magic and quirk energy meaning the two energies counteract and leave the person with nothing (Midoriya).  
> As for quirks that can be passed from person to person (One For All) it amplifies the quirk energy (therefore draining any magic) inside the container making the person either has a stronger quirk or give them a quirk.  
> A person with a quirk cannot have magic because their body doesn't contain the right energy and a person with magic cannot have a quirk for the same reason.


	4. Paper, Parchment and Books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long to get out, I've been working on it for some time, but school's started again, so I have less free time to sit down and write than before. I mention some serious things in this chapter and before any of you call me out for inaccuracy, I don't have any experience with these things so I don't know how to write them well. If I have done something wrong, please comment and I'll see to it that I correct that in the future. Thank you for waiting!!

The sun was setting over Privet Drive. Harry could hear the TV playing loudly downstairs and the Dursley's laughing loudly along with it. He'd only been back from Hogwarts for a few days; the school year had ended early after the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He'd tried asking Dumbledore if he could stay with the Weasley's that summer, instead of with the Dursley's, but the headmaster had refused. It made him angry in a way he couldn't describe.

The clamour from downstairs repeated in his head, growing more prominent, until he couldn't understand his thoughts over the white-noise that hummed around his skull. Without conscious thought, he grasped for his wand. Before his fingers could curl around the wooden handle, the ringing in his ears was cut off by several distinctive taps. His breathing had picked up without him realising. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and his scar pulsated against his mind. It felt like something was trying to split open his scar and slither out of his head.

When the tapping returned, his head inclined in the direction of the noise. Hedwig was beating her wings in front of his window, trying to draw his attention to let her in. With a sigh, Harry climbed off his bed, leaving his wand on the sheets, and tripped slightly over to the window. He struggled with the latch for a moment before finally pushing the Tudor style window open. In the claws of his bird was a letter. He was careful taking the letter from her talons. One too many times had he torn the delicate parchment when retrieving it from her. Once the letter was out of her talons, she flew off back out the window and into the darkening sky.

Unfolding the letter carefully, Harry made his way back over to his bed and sat down to read its contents.

**Hey Harry!**

**I hope the Dursley's aren't treating you too bad over there.** **I think you'll be surprised to hear this, but next year, Hogwarts is going to have a** **transfer student from Japan. Mum offered to house him with us during the holidays,** **so I've met him, only briefly though. He's kind of weird. Dumbledore brought him to Diagon Alley not long after** **he got here to receive some books. Something about wanting to make sure he was** **up to date on all of the work so far. He's got this scar on the left side of his face.** **Ginny tried to investigate what it was, but he told her he didn't want to discuss it with her,** **sounds suspicious to me. I'm going to tell Hermione about this, as well, maybe she knows what it is.**

**Happy Holidays!**

**Ron.**

Several expressions formed on Harry's features as he read the letter from his best friend. He was happy to be hearing from him, but he was also confused about the transfer student. He hadn't known Hogwarts took transfer students. From what little information he'd gathered from Ron's description, the boy did sound suspicious. He didn't want to believe Dumbledore would let a Death Eater into the school, but then again, Malfoy and Snape were still there. As he grabbed a piece of parchment from his drawer, he decided to have Ron keep an eye on the transfer for him. He turned on the bedside lamp to better see what he was writing.

* * *

_**Katsuki,** _

_**Can you read all these books for me? I have so many. I'm not sure I can read them all by the end of summer. Dumbledore said I only had to know the basics by the start of the school year. The Weasleys' are lovely. Mrs Weasley gave me a hug when she first saw me. Is that something many mothers do? The twins remind me of Kaminari and Sero. They seem the type to pull pranks on the others in the household. The youngest, Ginny, I think her name was, asked me about my scar. I should have said something, but instead, I snapped at her. I blame you for me getting that habit. I saw Ron, sending off a letter earlier, I think it was to Harry Potter, the boy I'm meant to protect throughout the year.** _

_**Have the others questioned my whereabouts? I know none of them knew I was leaving. I hope you told them and didn't just brush them off. Has Endeavor said anything about me? I hope not. How's Midoriya? I know you seem to hate him, and I won't pretend to understand why, but please, for me, could you keep an eye on him for me? Thank you.** _

_**I apologise. I didn't have dinner today. My stomach wouldn't settle after all the travelling I did today. I will eat breakfast tomorrow, I promise.** _

_**Love, Shouto.**_

The sky was dark outside the small window. Shouto smiled slightly, the sight looking ghostly in the candle-light that illuminated the room. Ron had been asleep for a few hours before Shouto had decided to start writing his letter. He neatly folded the paper and carefully wrote Katsuki's name on the front. He contemplated addressing a letter to Touya but decided not to since he didn't know where the older lived. A hue of blue filled the room as Rin flew across from his perch (the wardrobe) to Shouto's shoulder. He carried the Phoenix over to the window and pulled on the latch. A frown settled on his face, barely discernible in the feeble lighting. The catch wouldn't move. He heard Ron shuffle in his bed but paid no attention to it. When a hand reached passed him to the window's handle, he flinched forcefully to the side, away from the hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Saw you struggle with the lock and thought I'd help." Shouto looked at Ron with wide eyes. He hadn't thought the other was awake.

"Did I wake you?" Finally, the window creaked open. A breath of fresh, but cold air flurried past them. Their hair was blown out of their eyes for a brief moment, long enough for their eyes to lock.

"Nah, I've been awake the whole time. I know this window can be trouble. Everything in this house is so bloody old. Sending a letter to your parents?" Ron peered down at the letter in Shouto's hand and gave a sheepish smile. Shouto knew he should tell the truth. He didn't care what his father thought he was up to; the same way his father didn't care about his well-being.

"Something like that." His voice was quiet as he spoke. He had never been great at lying. He always stated what he believed, although, Midoriya did attempt to show him, that in doing so, he could come across as offensive. Looking back out the window, Shouto imagined for a moment that he was back in his dorm room. The sky, he thought, would look similar, if there weren't clouds hiding the stars that night. " _Katsuki Bakugou, U.A high school. Can you take him this?"_ He held up the letter to Rin. The Phoenix tool the letter in his beak carefully. " _Someone called Aizawa might want to check the letter. Let him._ " The bird dipped its head in understanding before taking to the air, out the open window. Once the bird had reached a safe distance from the house, it burned vividly, the flames blazing a brilliant blue. All at once, the flares contracted. Shouto regarded curiously as the flames eventually faded out. Rin was gone. The two turned back to their beds, leaving the window open to let fresh air into the dusty house.

"Well, Goodnight." He could feel Ron's eyes on him as he slid back under the covers and pulled out a book. It was one Katsuki had recommended he read. Fuyumi had bought it for him when he'd expressed interest in the novel. The book was in English. He often found he favoured reading fictions in his second language, rather than his first. "Try not to stay up too late. Mum won't like it if she finds out you stayed up past curfew." Finally, he looked up from the foreign words in front of him to the red-haired boy across from him. He forced a small smile onto his lips before replying.

"I appreciate your concern, but I usually get a minimum amount of sleep." His mind flittered back upon the days where he was forced to train with his father long into the night. He attempted to push the memories back so he would sleep that night without getting a nightmare too extreme. He'd accepted he wouldn't sleep well without Katsuki there to calm him down or push the negative dreams away entirely. He could only hope that the visions that plagued him didn't leave him sobbing and screaming during the night.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning then." Shouto returned to his book while the red-haired male flopped down under his covers after blowing out the candle next to him.

Once Ron started snoring, Shouto reached under his duvet and pulled out a book of first-year spells. He estimated he could complete the first few chapters of incantations before four AM.

The morning came with the glaring sun shining over Shouto's eyes. Slowly his eyes opened and glanced around the room. The details of the room were blurry through the morning haze and the glare still blinding him. He'd read and practised three chapters in the book before falling asleep. Shouto was startled into a sitting position when Rin came flying through the window and landed on his bed cover. There was a letter in his beak. He dropped it onto Shouto's lap before flying back over to the wardrobe to fall asleep. He didn't get a chance to open the letter before Ron and Hermione came running in to announce that breakfast was ready.

The kitchen was bustling with life. Shouto had never much liked large crowds of people in his personal space, especially in the mornings. Swiftly, he dodged through the people to get to the table. In his tired mind, he realised there were more people there that morning then there had been the night before. He let out a small yawn while reaching for the coffee pot on the table. Subconsciously, a part of him was grateful the coffee was pre-made. In his vulnerable mind, he knew he would likely have had a panic attack if he'd heard a kettle boiling. The students in their dorm had grown accustomed to leaving the cap off the kettle while boiling it; Midoriya had made sure no one questioned the request when Katsuki had made it. Of course, no one there knew his trigger. He wasn't about to tell them either. That would mean wandering down memory lane, which was not something he expressly wanted to do so early in the day.

There was a man already sat at the table. His figure wasn't unlike Endeavor's; tall and muscled. The man wore a large coat that hid anything else he could be wearing. There was a holster which contained his wand, and resting against the table was a walking cane. Shouto looked up to examine his face and grimaced when he saw a chunk of the man's nose was missing. One of his eyes remained focused on the food in front of him as he ate, the other darted around the room loosely. He blinked a few times in confusion before accepting the man's presence and sitting down at the table. He poured himself a mug of coffee while stretching over the table for the sugar. Swiftly, a giant fist surrounded his own. He tensed involuntarily. A gasp left his lips before he could stop it. "And who are you?" The half-nosed man snapped. Mrs Weasley was quick to react to the man's movement. She strode over and hit him over the head with a newspaper.

"Enough Alastor. He's here by order of Dumbledore. Shouto, this is Alastor Moody, an ex-Auror for the Ministry. Alastor, this is Shouto Todoroki." The man, Alastor, grunted and turned back to his breakfast. It was clear he didn't like the idea of Shouto being in the house. "Shouto, is there anything you would like specifically for breakfast?"

"Um, my friend always said I should try hashbrowns." He spoke, seeing the triangle-shaped food cooking in a frying pan. Mrs Weasley grinned and mumbled something about making sure he got extra on his plate as she hurried back over to the stove to stop the twins from stealing the food. A small smile graced his lips as he poured the right amount of sugar into his coffee. Other than Katsuki or Midoriya, no one had gone out of their way to look out for him. He could barely remember Touya's caring. Touya was the one to take over after their mother. Even then, he couldn't remember much of that time as well as he could his time with his mother. Swiftly, Shouto pulled himself out of those memories before he fell too deep into them. It wouldn't do him any good to fall into a depressive state while he had work to do. He noticed quite a few more people were seated around the table. A few of whom he already knew. Ron had taken to sitting beside him, leading to Hermione sitting beside him as well. They both gave him polite smiles while conversing over something. Seeing as they had a letter between them, probably from school friends, Shouto decided to take a look at the letter he'd received that morning. Before he could reach for it, however, Mrs Weasley called everyone to sit down and settle down.

"So, Shouto? Are you looking forward to studying at Hogwarts?" The man who spoke looked to be about the same age as Sirius, although with a lot fewer stress lines. He had short brown hair and a tired look in his eyes. He wasn't someone who'd been there the night before.

"I think, at the moment I am still adjusting to the change of scenery. Back in Japan, I grew up in the town next to where the school is. While we still used the dorms for safety, I have always had the option of going home and seeing my family." He briefly wondered that if his father wasn't how he was, that would be something he did, much like the other students in his dorm. "I don't have that kind of luxury now, and I do not think I know, at the moment, how to accommodate to that." He met the eyes of the man who had posed the question, doubt filling his mind as to whether his answer was acceptable. He was shocked, and he hoped it didn't show on his face when he saw the man smiling happily.

"You know, I don't think I've ever asked someone that question and gotten such a thought out answer." Shouto wasn't sure how to respond to that. Never had anyone complimented him on his blunt answers to their questions. He, as a child, had never understood the reason for lying and telling people the answers they wanted to hear, instead of the truth, but over the years he'd learned, through watching his brother get kicked down for speaking up that sometimes, it was better to lie to others, so they didn't see the truth. He quietly muttered thanks to Remus, still uncertain if it was the correct response to the man. He dropped his eyes back down to the table, which was now overflowing with foods. In front of him were a set of cutlery and a plate.

"Help yourself, my dear!" Mrs Weasley said, probably to him since everyone else already was. His eyes focused on the food in front of him. He remembered Kaminari once asked for Katsuki and Satou to make an English Breakfast one day. The two cooks decided to take the challenge and got Aizawa to buy them the things they would need for the buffet they were going to make. Shouto remembered how Katsuki had counted out how much he put on Shouto's plate to make sure he didn't get more than he could eat.

He was thankful that no one bothered to ask him any questions once they had started eating. Even with his coffee, he couldn't see himself handling a full interrogation, especially when he'd left his quirk suppressors beside his bed.

After breakfast had passed, Sirius had informed Shouto to grab whatever book he would want to study that day and meet him in the drawing-room. Curious, Shouto did as told and found both Sirius and the man who'd questioned him before sat in large armchairs around a coffee table. There was a third chair. Carefully, he stepped fully into the room and made his way to the only remaining seat in the room. He was half inclined to sit on the floor, as that would have been what his father would have wanted him to do. Instead, he reclined into the chair, placing his books on the coffee table. "Right then. Me and Remus, here, are going to be teaching you all you need to know about magic and the Wizarding World. Before we begin, do you have any questions?" Shouto looked them both in the eyes before back down at his pile of book.

"Will I need a notebook?" His question drew laughs from both men. He didn't understand their laughter, though, so he simply waited for them to finish.

"First rule of Wizarding: Wizards use parchment and quills when writing, not pens and paper." They both waved their wands, parchment, quills and bottles of ink appearing on the table before them. "It'll be difficult at first, getting used to using a quill when muggle pens are much easier, but hopefully it won't be too bad." Remus seemed quick to want to reassure Shouto. For a moment he wondered if his distress had shown on his face. The idea of writing with feathers wasn't overly appealing.

"Muggle?"

"The term used for non-magical people. Technically, you're a muggle." They paused, seemingly waiting for him to process the information. He nodded finally. Sirius then waved his wand again, "Locomotor." He mumbled and the books started to order themselves on the table.

"We'll start with the basics for today. Are you ready?" Remus looked concerned towards Shouto, but the younger put on a face of confidence.

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, and I didn't get as far along with the story as I would have liked, but alas. I don't think I have any more world-building things to add at the moment, but if I do I'll make a note to add them in the next chapter. I don't know how long it's going to take me to even start the next chapter. With school, and now having taken up BSL on the side, I don't have much free time to sit back and write. Feel free to comment whatever you please, I really enjoy reading them, and I'll try and reply to you all as much as I can. Thank you for waiting and reading!!


	5. Friends in Unlikely Places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to name this chapter in a hurry so it's not the best title, but it worked.
> 
> I jump from the beginning of the summer to the point in which Harry fights the dementors at the beginning of the book/film. I don't think there was any reason for me to linger on the summer much longer as I'd mostly set up what I needed and the only thing left would have been Shouto developing relations with the wizards, but that's skippable.
> 
> I rewrote this chapter so many times and I think I've just given up trying to make it perfect and instead am focussing on just writing for the sake of writing.
> 
> Also, I plan on reading the book (something I haven't done yet) so I have a better understanding of the major plot points. I would just watch the film, but for some reason, my DVD is acting like it's been wiped clean and won't play no matter what we use to play it.
> 
> English - "[insert text]"  
> Japanese - "[ _insert text_ ]"  
> Letters read aloud - "[insert text]"

_**Dear Shouto,** _

_**Aizawa made sure to inform everyone the morning after you'd left. Deku made a huge fuss, but Aizawa shut him down quite quickly. Deku said that mums always gives the best hugs, the whole class agreed. Kirishima mentioned getting twice as many because he had two mums and Ponytail made a polaroid camera so we could send you photos as well. We've put some in the envelope. Those books aren't going to be a problem for you, idiot. All you ever do is read so I bet you'll have them finished in two weeks max. Maybe less if you were exaggerating how many you have.**_

_**That bastard hasn't come looking for you at the school, so whatever the teachers are doing to dissuade him, it's working.** _

_**Your bird is awesome! Tokoyami's having fun looking after him while I write this. The whole class thinks he fucking adorable, can't say they're wrong, but that doesn't mean I'll tell them that.** _

_**You better eat properly, two or three meals a day, that is. If I find out you haven't been eating well, I'll come over and force you to eat.** _

_**Stay safe.** _

_**Love, Katsuki.** _

The sky was dimming behind tightly packed clouds. Despite summer's approach, the sky remained glum and the temperature cold. Shouto had buried himself under two blankets. While wearing the quirk suppressing bracelets, he struggled to regulate his temperature and often found himself cold in the coolness of the house. He was careful as he took the polaroid photos from the envelope. A smile formed on his lips when he observed that there were several lively photos of his classmates. Someone had caught a photo of the entire classroom, with Aizawa-Sensei mid-lecture and most of the class paying avid attention. Kaminari and Mina were trying to pay attention, but they both seemed distracted by whatever Jirou was whispering conspiratorially to them.

The second photo was of the Baku-squad and the Deku-squad competing against each other in a series of games. Bakugou and Midoriya were competing in a game of chess. Surprisingly, Katsuki looked calm as he thought on what move to make next. Midoriya was sat back, looking quite smug. Shouto peered down at the board and grinned when he saw that Midoriya had put Katsuki in check. Kirishima and Uraraka were arm-wrestling without quirks. Kirishima seemed quite shocked that Uraraka could compete against him, although Shouto imagined it wasn't because she was a girl. Finally, Sero, Kaminari, Mina and Jirou were all going against Momo and Iida in a general knowledge quiz with Kouda as the referee.

The last lot of photos weren't polaroids, but instead, printed onto photo paper. He smiled once again at the sight of him and Katsuki posing together under a cherry blossom tree. Another was one he'd taken of Katsuki leading him up a mountain they'd gotten permission to climb. The last was a picture someone else had taken. It was of the two of them, pulled together in a fierce battle of the lips. He could remember it as their first kiss. He hoped that whoever had slid that photo into the envelope hadn't let Katsuki see it. He would have blown up their face if he knew they'd seen that.

With that, he gently tucked all the items back into the envelope and placed it on the bedside table. Beside him, Ron had already fallen asleep but had left his candle burning. Carefully, he leaned over, making sure to stay quiet as he did so, and blew out the candle. Then, silently, but swiftly, he blew out his candle and the room plunged into darkness. He promised himself he would reply to Katsuki in the morning. His head sunk into the pillow, and soon he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

-

Paper crumpled and curled into a ball inside Harry's fist. His anger was bubbling inside of him as he stared down at the letter in his hand. Expelled, they said. Surely they couldn't expel him for defending himself against a magical creature that shouldn't have been in such a muggle populated area in the first place. "Well, boy? Are you going to explain? I demand to know why my son is sat here ill as a- I don't even know." There was a brief moment of silence. Dudley seemed to be able to get a few words out, but Harry wasn't listening. He could bearly hear over the blood rushing past his ears. Finally, Harry made up his mind. He turned around, ignoring the yells of Vernon behind him. He stormed for the door, aiming to leave when he was interrupted by something hitting the window. Harry's uncle yelled something about the 'bloody owls' as he stared at the blue glow on the other side of the kitchen window. Somehow, the sight of such a gentle light managed to calm his nerves. He felt as if he were in a trance as he stepped forward to allow the Phoenix to enter into the living room. "What the bloody hell is that, boy!?"

"It's a Phoenix. I've never heard of them being blue though." He noticed there was a letter rolled up against the beautiful bird's leg. Carefully, he reached for it, ignoring his uncle's shouting for him to remove the creature from the house. The moment the letter was free from the Phoenix's leg, the bird took flight, back out of the window before bursting into flames. Harry ignored it and looked curiously at the unfamiliar handwriting. Vernon was on his hovering over Harry with a furious glare.

"Well, boy. Open it. Might as well see what this next bird wants." Harry carefully pulled on the ribbon holding the parchment in a tight roll. It came away easily, the material soft under his fingertips like it was an expensive decorative item. It seemed to wrap itself around his wrist as he began unrolling the parchment with practised, careful ease.

Abruptly, Vernon snatched the letter out of his hands, being far less gentle than was required for the delicate material. However, the parchment seemed to hold up. "Dear Mr Potter. Who the bloody hell would address you in such a way?" Vernon sneered while commenting on the formality of the letter. "You don't know me; Neither do we!" A frustrated cry came from Harry's uncle. It was a miracle his face hadn't turned purple yet.

"Get on with it, Vernon." Petunia groaned, she'd had enough of the evening, that much was obvious.

"Right. Well done on fighting off those dementors by the way. I'm sure they've forgotten to say that themselves. Until they've cleared this all up, and I'm sure Dumbledore is going to prevent you from being expelled, you need to stay with your relatives. I can understand that you are most likely angry. Whether or not that is directed at the Ministry or Mundungus, I can't tell. Once I know you've received this letter I'll send Rin with a list of instructions on ways to manage the anger, should you need them. Someone will be in contact with you shortly, to let you know the outcome of Dumbledore's confrontation. Best Wishes, Shouto." Harry pulled a confused look at the sign-off. He didn't know anyone called Shouto, not even from Hogwarts. Vernon grumbled but handed the letter back to Harry. "You know, you're lucky we don't kick you out for the stunt you pulled on our Dudley." His voice was an eery calm, something Harry had never witnessed in his uncle before. He took another glance at Dudley. The boy was still hunched over a bucket, but he looked a little more lucid than he had when he first arrived. "Go to your room. If I hear another blasted owl come into this house, I'll put those bars back on your window!" He decided not to argue with his uncle, despite how much he wanted to allow his anger out on the man. Swiftly he moved towards the stairs, only pausing briefly beside the cupboard before heading up, away from the family.

Upon entering his room, he found the Phoenix looking curiously at Hedwig as she slept in her cage. Without looking at Harry, the beautiful creature held out its leg, another letter tied against it. Again, Harry was gentle in removing the letter. Unfolding it, he realised it wasn't written in the same scribbles as the letter before had been. The handwriting was neat, but not written by someone who spoke English. The letters were exaggerated and spaced, none overlapping. Since his anger had, for the most part, subsided, he decided not to read further than the first line, leaving the letter on his desk instead. He flopped, rather unceremoniously onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. Rin finally turned away from Hedwig and flew out the window, not bothering to look back. He let his thoughts carry him to sleep. He could only hope that the dreams that came weren't of the graveyard or the corridor that had begun to haunt him around the middle of the summer break.

* * *

 It wasn't long after the news reached headquarters that Hermione had begun pouring over books on wizard laws. Mrs Weasley was fussing over everything in the hopes of distracting herself. Ron had resorted to challenging Sirius to a game of Wizards' Chess. They were all waiting for Dumbledore to return with news of his attempts to persuade the Ministry to hold a hearing. Everyone was startled out of their worrying when Hermione let out a triumphant cry. Shouto looked up. His expression remained blank as he watched her explain to Ron that they couldn't expel Harry. Everyone seemed to relax a little when she explained. Shouto found it intriguing that so many people cared about Harry, even though they weren't his family. Without realising, Shouto found himself smiling slightly. It was only a small smile, but when he realised it, he couldn't find it in him to feel ashamed about showing the happiness he felt.

Everyone was sat around the table, anxious for Dumbledore to return with good news. Mrs Weasley was setting the table around them with the help of a few other people. Remus came in through the kitchen door, looking a little pale. "Dumbledore has returned with news, but he wants to speak with Shouto beforehand." He looked directly at Shouto and gave him an encouraging expression. "He's in the drawing-room." Shouto nodded and stood from the table. He heard Fred and George mention using extendable ears to listen in to their conversation. He glanced over his shoulder and met their eyes. Not saying anything, he left the kitchen.

The drawing-room was about as dusty as the rest of the house. Dumbledore was sat in a mouldy armchair, watching a set of curtains blow in a non-existent breeze. There was a desk pushed up against one of the walls like it had been shoved out of the way at one point. Every-so-often it would shake. Shouto had a feeling there was something hidden inside. Considering he was magicless, the possibility of that something being magical and dangerous discouraged him from checking himself. Instead, he took a seat in the other chair beside Dumbledore. Neither spoke for a few minutes, content to watch the Doxy infested curtains. " _I was able to convince the Ministry to hold a hearing,_ " Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice holding a solemn tone. " _It's possible they'll try to make Harry look bad by changing the time of the hearing at the last minute_." Shouto knew from experience that, from his father, that was what the Hero Commission did when they wanted to ensure a villain was sent to Tartarus. He could see the Ministry of Magic doing the same.

" _Is there anything you can do to stop that?"_ Shouto looked over to Dumbledore questioningly. If Harry wasn't at Hogwarts, his job would become more difficult. While Shouto waited for Dumbledore to answer, he carefully flexed his fingers, letting a flame dance across his fingertips. There were a few minutes of silence before Dumbledore's face broke out into a mischevious grin.

" _I'll beat them at their own game._ " Shouto chuckled. The dim lighting made Dumbledore seem even more mysterious than he was being. Another laugh escaped Shouto's lips when he realised what he'd thought.

Through his laughter, he was able to get out a few words. " _Will- Will he be coming here?"_   Dumbledore smiled warmly at Shouto. It appeared like he was impressed at Shouto's laughing.

" _In a few days, when the Dursley's leave their house. According to my sources, they've locked him in his room._ " Shouto nodded in understanding. His expression turned serious again. He'd been told about the Dursley's by Sirius. They were about as kind as Endeavor. Shouto was willing to take a bet that they supported Endeavour as well. Once again, the two lapsed into silence. For a few minutes, Shouto's mind wandered, trying to devise a way to make it so Harry would not be expelled. Dumbledore must have fallen onto the same train of thought.

After another few minutes of silence, Dumbledore stood. " _I have an idea. Leave it to me._ " Shouto nodded and stood to follow him out of the drawing-room. The two paused in the hallway. In hushed voices, to avoid waking the painting of Sirius' mother, the two gave their goodbyes before heading in separate directions. Shouto entered the kitchen again, no one turning to look up at him. Mrs Weasley, however, made sure he had food on his plate by the time he'd sat down. Everyone talked happily amongst each other. Shouto fell into conversation with Hermione about different books they had both read. Ron chimed in occasionally to tell them they were both bookworms. It was a relatively peaceful evening, excluding the problems they weren't talking about.

Once again the clouds covered the sky. It wasn't raining, thankfully, Shouto noted as he looked out the small window in their room. Despite the black sky, it was possible to see into the far distance. He turned his attention back to his book, pretending to read while Hermione and Ron both talked about the Order in quiet, hushed voices. Fred and George were likely listening in from another room, ready to apparate into the room at a seconds notice. Once again, Shouto's eyes were drawn to the window. For a moment, Shouto thought he saw shapes in the sky. When he tried to find them again, they weren't there. He shrugged it off and drew his eyes back to his book.

Down the stairs came hushed voices. A male was speaking without such a hushed tone. Hermione and Ron both fell silent, their conversation ending abruptly. As silently as she could, Hermione began standing. Shouto watched the movement from over the top of his book with a curious gaze. Footsteps were coming up the stairs, not Mrs Weasley's, but instead a set he'd never heard before, and he knew the footsteps of most people who'd entered the building before. Through the weeks, he'd learnt the sound of everyone's steps. It was a habit he'd picked up from living with Endeavor. He had feared being caught off guard, and so had learnt the sound of his father's clunking boots. The shoes came to a stop in front of their door. Shouto lowered his book to see slightly better, who would be entering the room. Without realising, Shouto's shoulders began to tense in anticipation. He forced himself to relax when his fingers started twitching in an attempt to form some ice as protection. The door began to open, slowly. Whoever was on the other side seemed as nervous as Shouto felt. The moment the door was wide enough for the standing Hermione to see the person on the other side, she launched herself into the arms of that person. "Harry!" Shouto raised an eyebrow but otherwise returned to reading his book. Harry Potter wasn't a threat to him. He couldn't help but remain tense. He felt the urge to be on edge, even though he knew the boy wasn't a danger.

"That's Shouto, he just sits there and reads," Ron chimed into whatever Hermione was rambling about. Harry seemed to come to a realisation when Ron introduced him.

"Your the one who sent me that letter, for the anger?" Shouto didn't look up from his book but nodded to indicate his answer. His expression remained blank, unwilling to give anything away. Harry seemed to want to continue the conversation, but Shouto turned the page of his book without even glancing up.

"Didn't mum say you were meant to wear your glasses when reading?" Ron commented. Even though he'd acted suspicious of Shouto at first, he'd grown fond of him. When Mrs Weasley had figured out that Shouto was meant to be wearing glasses, she'd flipped and demanded that he wore them whenever he needed them. The other Weasley's had been quick to also jump at the opportunity to remind Shouto to wear them. Wordlessly he reached for his thin, silver-framed, round glasses that were resting on his bedside table. With a practised flick of his wrist, he opened them and slid them onto his nose. Through his hyper-sensitivity, he was able to catch Hermione letting out a sigh. Without thinking, he spoke up.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" He glanced up from his book as he spoke, gauging her reaction.

"W-What? I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Her face was flushed pink in what, Shouto guessed, was either frustration or embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow at her but dropped the subject. Instead, he turned his attention to Harry Potter. The boy had messy, black hair and round glasses that had a crack on them. His eyes were a brilliant green, not that Shouto noticed. His eyes rose to the scar that was barely visible under the mop of messy bangs. It was an irritated-red against the boy's pale complexion. He sat forward and stared closer at Harry. There was something about the boy that disturbed Shouto, but he couldn't figure out what. He figured he would ask Dumbledore about it when he was next at the Order.

"Nice to meet you, Harry. Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix." The moment the words left his lips, two cracks filled the room. Fred and George appeared, stood beside Shouto's bed. Harry seemed to jump significantly. The two let out bright laughter at the shock written across Harry's expression. Shouto felt a grin forming on his face, the tension in his shoulder's easing minutely. "Perfect timing," He said with a small chuckle. The twins grinned maniacally.

"So, what's been going on here? I haven't seen anything on the muggle news or in the Daily Prophet." Harry looked between them as guilty expressions formed on his friends' faces. His expression turned grim. Harry seemed clueless as to what had gotten his friends down.

"Harry, have you been reading the Daily Prophet cover to cover?" Shouto spoke in as soft a voice as he could manage.

"Only the front page. Surely anything important will be there?" Shouto winced when he realised the mistake Harry had made over the summer. He'd presumed that the Ministry would be advertising Voldemort's return when instead they'd been refuting that claim. Hermione and Ron seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"Harry." Hermione paused, trying to find the right words.

"The Daily Prophet has been making you out to be a bad person." Ron chipped in. Shouto slid his bookmark into his book and watched Harry carefully. He presumed he'd heeded his advice about managing his anger. Carefully, Harry took a shaky, deep breath. He carefully put pressure on each of his fingers, not enough to cause pain, but enough to ground him. Shouto slid the bracelet on his right wrist off, carefully lowering the temperature of the room slightly. The heated, dank space of the candle-lit room would only have made it worse.

"They haven't been doing it explicitly, but they've been leaving comments in unrelated articles. It's horrid." Hermione picked up the newspaper that was sat beside Ron's bed and flipped through it to a page she must have memorised. She showed the page to Harry. "Comments about your scar. Sometimes about Cedric's death." Shouto knew who Cedric was, he'd never known the boy, but according to Remus, he was a kind student who didn't deserve to have his life cut short. Hermione looked almost close to tears as she spoke. The guilt was plain in her eyes; It was the same look his sister always wore when he was dragged into the training room. He slipped the bracelet back on and stood.

"Sorry, excuse me." He couldn't explain the sudden loss of his composure. It wasn't often he got angry and struggled to tie it down, but the look on Hermione's face had made him think of Fuyumi; That was something he'd hoped to avoid since it tended to drag up unwanted emotions.

As he was leaving the room he heard Harry speak just as he was closing the door behind him. "Is he a replacement or something?" Shouto let the door click shut and wandered down the stairs, intending to go to the drawing-room for some quiet reading.

At the bottom of the stairs, he found Ginny sat with a pile of dungballs beside her. Every-so-often she would pick one up and throw it towards the door. Shouto watched for a moment while the balls bounced off the door. Carefully, he walked down the next few steps and sat down beside her. Watching the dungballs hit the door, or rather, come close to hitting the door, but bouncing off before, was therapeutic. "Are you okay?" She didn't look away from the door. Her voice was quiet and soft. Shouto let out a small breath he didn't know he'd been holding, in that room. "I heard Harry arrive. Have you met him yet?" Carefully, Shouto nodded. Slowly he pinched each of his fingertips.

"He's an interesting character, but I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable being around him yet." She hummed in understanding. Strangely, despite him thinking she was the last person he would make friends with while in England, she turned out to be the one he confided in the most. Hermione and Ron were still good friends of his, but they didn't know about his scar. He'd told her a few days after he'd first arrived. Katsuki had told him to apologise for snapping at her, but he didn't know how to. Another dungball was thrown in the direction of the door. He watched it sail through the air as if it were travelling in slow motion. "Why are you throwing them?" He questioned just as it hit the door, making sure to keep his voice down.

"Tonks taught me how to see if there's an imperturbable charm on the door. Mum put one up apparently; to stop us from using any extendable ears." Shouto nodded in understanding. Remus had mentioned it during one of their lessons. Sirius had then told him not to worry about needing to know that. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before there was the muffled sound of chairs moving beyond the kitchen door. Quickly, but silently, the two hurried back up the stairs, into the boys' room.

* * *

It was a quiet morning in the Class 1-A dorms. Katsuki was on breakfast duty that week. He had several frying-pans on the hobs and the grill in the oven cooking various foods. It wasn't so early, but many of the students were known for sleeping until the last minute before rushing to get ready. Iida was already sat at the dining table, checking over all of his homework, correcting things and adding new notes. He was also checking Katsuki's. " _Have you received a letter from Todoroki-kun yet?"_ Iida looked up from the work in front of him, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose.

" _Nah, not yet. I suppose he must be busy enough to not send one. Either that or he just plain forgot._ " Those that slept in until the last minute never got the opportunity to see Katsuki while he was cooking. Iida returned his eyes to the pages below him. Usually, their conversations were short. Katsuki said it was because he couldn't stand talking to someone with a stick so far up their ass, but he never went out of his way to prove it. Aizawa entered the room. He grunted at them both before heading straight for the coffee machine. " _What's the bastard done this time, Sensei?"_ Katsuki turned away from the food for a moment to look at his teacher. The man looked exhausted, but it was a distinct kind of exhaustion that came only from having to talk to Endeavor.

" _He's been demanding to speak to Todoroki in person since five A.M. I think Nedzu managed to convince him that Todoroki was busy with studies._ Also, _Dumbledore sent ahead a letter about needing to speak to you._ " He turned, his large mug of black coffee in hand, and faced Katsuki. He had a grim, but still tired expression on his face.

" _What the hell does the old geezer want? I thought the only business here he had was with Shouto._ " Aizawa shrugged as he took a sip of his scolding hot drink.

" _Need any help with this?"_ Katsuki wordlessly began directing Aizawa towards what he could pass onto the other. Over the sound of the frying-pans, it was possible to hear a few more students entering the common-room.

The class was dismissed for lunch slightly later. Aizawa wouldn't let anyone leave until they'd all finished their quizzes, meaning Kaminari was the one keeping them all behind. Katsuki thought he could hear the cheers of his classmates once Kaminari stood to hand his test in. " _Bakugou, Midoriya, before you go._ " Aizawa gestured for the blonde and green-haired boys to sit back down. Several of the others looked at them in concern but otherwise said nothing. Kirishima gave Katsuki a pat on the back and a bright smile of reassurance before following the self-proclaimed Baku-Squad out of the room. Aizawa sighed before stepping down from where he'd been standing for most of the lesson. He came and sat down on the desk table next to Katsuki. " _Dumbledore arrived here a few minutes ago. Nedzu has likely sent him down. I don't know what he wants to talk to you about, but if you need me, I'll be outside._ " Katsuki nodded and gave Aizawa a small smile. He then turned it into a smirk.

" _I can look after myself. I don't need you constantly looking over my shoulder._ " Aizawa rolled his eyes. Midoroya seemed to be mumbling, the sound drifting over from his seat. "Hey, Deku. Shut the hell up."

A few moments later, the door slid open. Into the room stepped the same old man he'd seen when Shouto had left for his abroad 'mission'. " _It's good to see you again, Bakugou Katsuki. You must be Izuku Midoriya. It's lovely to meet you._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I've been swamped with school work and my job. I don't think I'll be able to get the next chapter out any sooner than it took to get this one out but I'll see what I can do.
> 
> Here's something you may not have thought about but I just did, so I'll clear it up anyway: The wand Todoroki is using will only replicate a spell if it has been cast successfully. If someone was to attempt to cast a spell but it fails, then the wand won't be able to replicate it.
> 
> I realise I made a bit of a mistake; I didn't realise that Bakugou was kidnapped during the summer holidays so I wrote this story as if he was kidnapped during the school year. So, in the case of this AU, I've decided that the training camp will occur at the end of the school year, but before the summer holidays. The students will also be staying at the school during the holidays for extra lessons. That allows it all to fit into the timeline I've set out. 
> 
> I legit looked up the time the sun rose and set on August 2nd in both Tokyo and London so I could work out what time Dumbledore would be in Tokyo if the sun had long since set in London (I decided about 10, so 7 in Tokyo).
> 
> Shameless self-plug: If you want to know what I look like or see some other kind of things I do, I have a TikTok (I know it's cringy, but I never cared for other people's opinions). The @ is Lukas_Likes_Cheese if you wanna check it out. (There is a reason behind that name but I'm not going to say what because it involves my real name.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed your day/night, wherever you are!


	6. The Mystery's Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write a few things in this chapter that I don't think are overly accurate but I'll put a warning in for them in any case. I _attempt_ to write Todoroki having a panic attack (I don't even know if that's what it turned out to be) but I don't go into too much detail. There is also a few mentions of blood, so if you get easily triggered by either of these things, I'd advise you to skip them just in case...
> 
> If anything is super inaccurate, I apologise but I don't have any experience with these things so I'm trying to write them in a way I understand them to be. If you have any useful tips, please leave them in the comments!

The sun peaked over the roofs of the houses opposite Grimmauld Place. It was still too low to shine through the windows of the house. The residents of the house were still sleeping soundly in their beds. One person was awake, however. Leaning against the cool glass of his room's only window, was Shouto Todoroki. His eyes were closed, almost looking peaceful, if not for the sight of his eyebrows drawing together. A quiet sound encouraged his heterochromatic eyes to flutter open, his eyelashes batting against his cheeks. His lips parted, and a small exhale caused the cold window to steam. He glanced into the dimly lit room, another small sound pulling his attention away from the view. There were three beds in the room. Mrs Weasley had added another bed not long after the meeting had finished. One contained the lump that was Ron, while another was empty. The third bed, where Harry slept, held a moving shadow that accompanied the rustling of the duvet. Shouto watched curiously, wondering what had made Harry suddenly start moving in his sleep.

For a moment, Harry's body stilled. Shouto found himself holding his breath, hoping the black-haired teen would settle back into sleep. Just as Shouto was about to relax again, Harry bolted up from the pillow, gasping for breath. Ron's snoring seemed to match the volume of the room, raising as Harry's laboured breathing filled the silent room. Shouto remained still, watching from his dark hiding place. It didn't seem like the other had noticed him yet. When Shouto's shoulder began to protest to being held tense beside his ears, he dropped them and returned to looking out of the window, content to let Harry fall back asleep. "Why're you awake?" His head snapped around, looking at Harry, who was still sat and directly looking at him. There were a tense few seconds of silence.

"I could ask you the same..." He trailed off, uncertainty filling his voice. He'd hoped to avoid any encounters while he could still feel the phantom pain from his scar that always made itself present after a particular nightmare. Harry seemed to give him a slanted smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Neither of them seemed in the right mind to be making a jest, not that, he presumed, Harry would know.

"Nightmare. You?" Shouto turned to look back out the window, not wanting to reply.

"What about?" He took the chance that Harry would realise he didn't want to acknowledge why he was awake. He glanced back and saw Harry appeared to be competing with himself. He recognised the look like one he'd seen on Midoriya's face before, during the Sports Festival.

"Voldemort. He killed a friend of mine, during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and I keep seeing it in my dreams." There was a haunted look that crossed Harry's face. It was the same look that crossed Katsuki's when he was thinking back on the training camp. Shouto kept his expression blank, he pitied the teen but knew that he wouldn't appreciate the pity. There was a pause of silence. Neither seemed willing to break the comfortable quiet that had fallen over them. Shouto found himself searching for words to try and show Harry his understanding.

"I have a friend who believes in spirits and the void." Shouto started, knowing it sounded strange. Tokoyami was someone Shouto wasn't overly close to, but the two were still close enough for the teen to consider him a friend. "He believes that spirits if tied to the land of the living, can enter a person's dreams. Maybe your friend is trying to make you realise that you shouldn't blame yourself for his death. I never really believed it myself, but any ghosts in my past are yet to try and haunt me." His explanation felt like it fell short in understanding, but he couldn't find the words to put his message across any better. Harry seemed to understand something from what he'd said, but he couldn't tell if it was what he was aiming for.

"Does he have an explanation for a door constantly appearing?"

"I have no doubt he would probably make some reference to the void if he did." Somehow he managed to draw a small chuckle from Harry. He let a minute smile spread across his lips, hopeful that Harry could find comfort in it. "You should try and sleep again. No doubt Mrs Weasley will want you to help cleaning around the house." Harry seemed confused, then a look of understanding formed.

"You should try and sleep, as well." Shouto shook his head, appreciating the concern, but not at all tired.

"I don't get a lot of sleep anyway. I'm sure I'll be fine." Harry didn't look convinced, but instead of retorting, he lay back down under his covers. Shouto turned back to looking out of the window. The room fell into silence, Shouto listening to the uneven breathing of Harry as he struggled to fall back into a slumber. Eventually, the breathing evened out, the calming rhythm allowing Shouto to relax a little. His reflection was visible on the window, his scar and recently black hair standing out the most. He was still unused to seeing himself with black hair. Gently, a hand came up to run through his bed-messy locks. The fingers danced through the soft strands before running over the prominent mark covering his left eye. He didn't have much feeling in that part of his face, the boiling water destroying most of the nerve-endings. A frown settled onto his features. He'd always noticed how his left eye struggled to focus, his vision being even worse. He remembered the bandaged being gently pulled away from his face by Touya. He remembered the fuzziness, his left eye unable to focus on anything. Endeavour had been furious when he'd discovered, despite his brother and sister's best attempts to hide the impairment. His training had been directed at his left side that night. His father had been determined to ~~beat~~ train him harder than before so he could still be effective with the blindness. He was the only child born that his father considered worthy, with his mother out of the picture, there were no do-overs. His mind spiralled, the phantom pains returned ten-fold, but he managed to stop himself from itching the scar.

The sun rose higher and higher, Shouto's thoughts keeping him from noticing. He didn't realise he'd begun to scratch at the edges of his scar, tearing the delicate skin around the burn. Memories flooded his vision, drifted between his mother and his father. His nails had dried and fresh blood under them. His blind eye seemed less focused than usual, and his breathing was ragged. He didn't notice Mrs Weasley calling for them to wake up.

Distantly he thought he heard voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying over the sound of blood in his ears. His fingers continued to tug at the injured skin. A small drop of blood rolled down his cheek. "Mum!" He let out a sharp gasp at the loud voice right beside him. Hands had curled around his arms. He kicked out, attempting to get away from the touch. A gentle voice reached his ears.

"Hey, Shouto. Can you hear me?" It reminded him of his mother; It reminded him of her from before she burned his face. It sounded different, but the kindness was still the same. The hands had left his arms. "I need you to breathe for me, okay. I'm not going to touch you." The voice fell silent. Someone was breathing steadily, counting at the same time. He found himself attempting to follow it, subconsciously. At first, it felt like he couldn't draw enough air, his head spinning from the lack of oxygen, but slowly he found his chest loosening.

It took a few more minutes of following the breathing and counting to be able to realise that the one counting was Alastor Moody. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus. When they wouldn't, he felt himself begin to struggle to breathe again. Through the fuzziness, he was able to look up at Alastor, unsure of when he'd ended up sat on the floor. Someone placed a cool, delicate item in his hands. He glanced down and was able to make out the shape of his glasses. With shaking fingers, still coated in a small layer of blood, he unfolded the arms and slid the glasses onto his face. He looked up again. Mrs Weasley was crouched across from him, next to Alastor. She gave him a concerned look but said nothing. Behind them were Ron and Harry. He avoided looking at their faces, not wanting to see their pitying expressions. "You with us now?" Asked Alastor in his usual gruff voice.

"Sorry." Shouto's voice was ruff. Even though he knew he hadn't cried, he couldn't form the words without them sounding croaked.

"Don't apologise kid. A panic attack isn't something uncommon. No one's blaming you." He shook his head and stood. The adults rose with him. He ignored them in favour of picking out an outfit for the day. "If you want to talk, any one of us will listen." Shouto looked up at Alastor, giving the man a grim smile.

"I know." Alastor nodded before informing Mrs Weasley that he wouldn't be staying for breakfast. Once he'd left the room, Mrs Weasley was quick to rush the two boys out of the room. Shouto watched as she encouraged them to go, never raising her voice and always being gentle. His left eye was itching still, his fingers twitching with the need to scratch.

"Come on, Sweetie, let's get you cleaned up." She spoke softly, but she made no move to force him, content to wait until he was ready. He wondered if she'd ever had to help someone in a similar position before. His lips twitched up into a miniature smile for a millisecond before his expression fell again. He grabbed a shirt but didn't move to put it on. Instead, he moved towards the door and waited for Mrs Weasley to lead the way. She gave him a kind grin as she passed him. "You won't mind if I put a bandage on your scar, will you?" He didn't trust his voice to answer, so he just shook his head.

The bathroom at the end of the hall was one of the cleanest rooms in the entire house. It was cleaned daily, using both magic and non-magical cleaning methods to lift any grime that settled there. Shouto was instructed to sit on the edge of the bathtub while Mrs Weasley started opening cupboards to find some bandages. He focused his attention on his surroundings, in case he found himself slipping again; demanding he focused on anything other than his thoughts. Mrs Weasley came back into his view. She still wore her warm smile. It never faltered. Shouto found he couldn't reciprocate it, so instead, he used it to ground himself. "Can I touch you?" Shouto gave a small nod. He trusted Mrs Weasley that she would be gentle. "Okay, I'm going to put a bit of cream on your scar to stop it itching." Shouto forced his body to relax as she gently applied the cream to the area surrounding his eye. When the cream got close to one of the burns, he forced himself to hold back the hisses of pain that threatened the spill past his lips.

The entire time Mrs Weasley spent tending to his scar, she spoke about mindless things. They weren't heavy topics or anything of particular interest, but the sounds helped keep him grounded. She would also make sure to tell him exactly what she was going to do before doing it, so he knew what to expect. "Alright, keep the bandage on for a few days, so the scratches have time to heal a little." The two stood up, Shouto standing taller than Mrs Weasley slightly. He pulled on his shirt, quickly buttoning it up.

"Thank you." He breathed out. He grabbed his glasses from resting on top of his head and slid them back onto his face.

Having been instructed to get some breakfast after having attempted to offer to clean up, Shouto arrived in the kitchen to find everyone else already there. Harry seemed to be firing questions at everyone at the table, trying to get answers for all the blanks he'd been given during the summer. Shouto made his way over to the stove where he knew a freshly boiled kettle would be resting. He made a mug of tea with practised ease, preferring his black unlike the other tea drinkers in the room. "Surely I should know what's going on!" He sat down while Harry tried to convince Sirius to give up information. He could remember when Aizawa had taught them a few tricks for interrogation. He held back the smile when he was able to pick out a few mistakes that Harry was making.

"Harry. It's not going to work, mate. We've already tried to get them to tell us." Ron spoke around a slice of toast. Hermione quickly hit him around the head and reprimanded him for being rude. Shouto made a point of putting some food on his plate to not make it apparent he was listening. 

"This is ridiculous. I was the one who saw Voldemort get resurrected. It would only make sense." Harry was verging on yelling. Sirius seemed to notice that. He may have looked towards Shouto for help, but the other didn't look up from his food.

"Alright, I'll tell you a little. You're not a member of the Order, so I can't tell you everything."

"Then let me join," Insisted Harry. Shouto finally looked up from his food. He met Sirius' eyes. They both shared a look, hoping Hermione didn't pick up on it.

"Harry," Started Shouto. The other spun to face him, looking like he was fringing on furious. "I'd take what you can get. Every teen here has been trying to get them to let us join to no avail. I doubt you're going to make much difference." The other teen sighed in annoyance. Shouto returned to his food, unfussed about Harry's opinions on the matter. Ginny sat beside Shouto, giving to older and polite smile laced with only a slither of concern. He wondered if she was going to question what had happened, but instead, she began filling her plate with foods.

A few minutes into Sirius explaining the Order and Voldemort's lack of action during the summer, Shouto let out a rather loud cough. He had hoped to stop Sirius from saying too much, see that the other didn't appear to be stopping any time soon. All eyes turned to him, and he was forced to act like he was struggling to hold back other coughs. Ginny rolled her eyes. Ron hadn't even noticed, and the others at the table all shared the same expression. Harry had gone from a dejected-acceptance to anger once again. Shouto stopped his fake coughing and wondered if the other was always so angry. "Is this some kind of joke to you? I finally start getting answers after a whole summer of silence, and you interrupted it." Harry growled, practically leaning over the table in an attempt to intimidate Shouto. Considering Shouto had been in far more life-threatening situations, he was hardly phased by the faux act of dominance.

"Harry! Shouto was only coughing. I'm sure interrupting was not what he was intending to do." Hermione fixed Harry with a stiff glare. Shouto had seen it before. It was the same look she wore when she had made up her mind and wouldn't change it no matter what people said. He respected that kind of dedication. Harry must have been familiar with the glare as well as he sighed and sat down. Just as he did, Mrs Weasley came in.

"Have you had something to eat, Shouto?" He gave her a small nod. She nodded back in return.

Later in the day, Shouto was collecting anything that could be thrown out or sold from around the house. The rest were dealing with a Doxy problem. He turned into another hallway. His hand reached out for the first door handle when he heard a sound beyond the wooden barrier. Carefully, he listened. It didn't sound like voices. Instead, it sounded more like a minute rattling. Shouto reached for the handle again. His fingers curled around the bulb-shaped handle, but instead of swinging the door open, he gently nudged it ajar. Inside the room was a large, four-poster bed. It was draped in silks and multiple throws. He could only imagine how much the entire thing would cost. Slowly, he swung the door open further, stepping inside the plush room. He wondered if there was even a speck of dust on any surface. Upon closer inspection, he found that there was in fact dust, but it had all settled in thick layers on every surface. A chill rolled down his spine as he realised that the sound had ceased. His senses heightened as he looked around the room for the source of the noise. He slowly took stepped in the direction of the large wardrobe propped again the left wall. Keeping his only good eye on the rest of the room, he fumbled for the handles.

Before he could pull it open, the sound returned. Shouto held his breath. The rattling wasn't coming from the wardrobe. Widened eyes flicked to the ceiling. There, in the rafters of the house, was something. It was hidden in the dark corners of the roof and out of Shouto's sight. In a split moment, Shouto raced over his options: He could call for help and hope the creature didn't attack in that time; He could attempt and leave, locking the creature back into the room, without assistance; Or he could use his quirk and find out was it was that had lured him into the room. The rattling settled again. Cautious, and never taking his eyes off of the ceiling, Shouto took a step forward. He made it another half a step before the rattling began once again. He stopped, trying to catch sight of the creature from his less than fortunate non-vantage-point.

After another minute, the noise faded once more. His eyes dropped to the door for a moment. He took that split moment to calculate how many paced it would take to reach the door; Too many to outrun a creature with any kind of speed. When his eyes flicked back up to the ceiling, his breath left him. Staring straight back at him was a pair of yellow eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger. I wasn't entirely sure where I was taking it and that seemed like a good place to stop since it was a nice cliffhanger. I'm going to need a bit of time to redirect that plotline back in the direction it's meant to be. The chapter is also slightly shorter and I'm sorry for that but, again, it seemed like an okay place to stop. (I would have continued but I need this off my chest for a while so I can focus back on schoolwork.) 
> 
> I realise I make a lot of references to other characters from BNHA, but in my defence, I feel like Todoroki would try to find connections between the emotions of others and his friends, who's expressions he would be familiar with.
> 
> I don't think I'll be doing as many letters now, mostly I'll just reference them instead of writing out their contents. I'll only do that if the contents are important.
> 
> I rewrote this chapter about five times, sometimes intensional, while others were not. I'm not entirely happy with it but I guess this is as good as it's going to get because I can't figure out what's wrong with it.


	7. Am I the Only One Who's Seeing This?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I got this out quite quickly, but I dunno. This chapter was probably one of my favourites to write even if nothing life-changing happens in it. The endnotes are really messy but I wrote so much and I don't have the effort to change it so you can just read the little world-building in it and ignore the rest XD

The room seemed to freeze in time. The yellow eyes locked with a single grey one. Shouto was about to remove his bracelets and blast the things with ice when suddenly the eyes vanished and from the ceiling dropped two yellow beads. He stared at the small spheres in confusion. During his time in England, he had never read about a beast that could release its eyes from their sockets. The balls remained still and lifeless, and yet Shouto stayed cautious. He crouched to inspect them closer. His hand reached out but jerked back when he thought he saw one of them move. He examined the cloud of dust surrounding the orbs and released a little of the built-up tension when he saw it was undisturbed. Once again, he reached out towards the spheres lying in the grime. All at once, they shot up from the floor towards him. Shouto swiftly flung himself backwards, away from the floating things. He no longer felt compelled to call them eyes as they hovered in front of him and seemed to peel back an outer layer to reveal sharp teeth. Without thinking, Shouto unclasped his left bracelet and instantly cremated the orbs with a swift burst of fire. For another few seconds, Shouto sat there, catching the breath he hadn't realised he had lost. Distantly, he recognised that his hands were shaking. His good eye zoned in on the specks of ash that blended with the stirred-up dust.

After a while, Shouto rose. He dusted himself off quickly. The grime passed from his clothes onto his hands. It made his fingers feel dry as the dirt sucked all of the moisture from his skin. Swiftly he scooped up his quirk suppressor and left the room. Stepping out into the hallway, he wondered if there was a place in the building where he could train his reflexes. He could sense they were not as quick as he was used to. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that he was slacking off. He hated that it sounded so much like his father. As he clicked the door shut, he heard two people laughing at the end of the hall. He turned his head, recognising the sound of the twins' similarly ringing laughter. He sighed and grabbed the bags off of the floor where he'd left them. "Is something funny?" He gave them both his best blank face. Their laughter quickly died away when they spotted his serious expression.

"Mum wanted us to get you for lunch."  
"How'd you handle the eyes we enchanted?" Shouto fell in step beside the two as they began walking back.

"Well, you'll have to make some new ones, and I suggest not trying that trick on me ever again." The two quickly seemed to agree to not prank him like that again. He had to be honest, and admit that he wasn't sure if it was his shaking tone or the tenseness of his shoulders that allowed them to make that decision. He slid his suppressor back onto his wrist while they were walking.

Entering the room where Mrs Weasley was handing out sandwiches to everyone, Shouto spotted Sirius speaking happily with Harry. On previous days, Shouto would stand with Sirius and talk about Hero Society, but seeing Harry stood there deterred him from approaching. The older had been oddly fascinated by the Muggle World when he'd first met Shouto, and that fascination hadn't passed. He grabbed a sandwich from Mrs Weasley's tray, giving her a small smile and a slight dip of his head in thanks. In his peripheral, Shouto saw Ginny and Hermione happily talking in hushed voices. Both wore bright smiles. Shouto didn't make a point of hiding his presence as he approached them, but neither seemed to notice. He managed to get within listening range and paused, taking a bite of his sandwich, to hear what he was about to walk into. "I don't see it," Ginny spoke with a slight undertone he didn't recognise.

"Well, I'm just saying. He's attractive. Maybe I could ask him before the start of school; You know, try before he sees all of the other girls at school." Hermione looked almost shy as she spoke. Shouto found himself trying to figure out what they were talking about, even though he knew it was none of his business. He wanted to help Hermione to figure out the solution to her problem.

"I don't - Oh! Shouto!" Ginny caught his eyes and waved him over. "What in Merlin's name happened to you?" She gaped at him as he got closer. Glancing down at his shirt, he saw that most of the dust had clung to it.

"Fred and George pranked me. I tripped on a broken floorboard and kicked up a bunch of dust." Without thinking, he placed his sandwich in his mouth and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. He shrugged it off and shook more of the dust out of it. He happened to glance up at the girls. Ginny had a frown on her face, looking at something below his eye-level. Hermione's face was bright red.

"What are those?" Ginny spoke in a small voice. Her hand reached out for his chest. His eyes followed her fingers to a series of still-healing bruises. He recognised them as bruises from a training session with his father before he'd come to England.

"They're old. It's nothing new." Shouto shrugged his still-dusty shirt back on, buttoning it quickly. He felt the need to hide the markings from Ginny's eyes. It was likely that she had wanted to comment something more, but sudden bickering drew their attention to Fred, George and Ron who were arguing over the last sandwich. All three of them released sighs, used to the arguments between the three siblings.

"I'll deal with it." Ginny groaned but left the group to break up the fighting. Hermione seemed to look after her, pleading her to come back with only her eyes before turning back to Shouto. Her cheeks tinted a light pink when their eyes locked. Hermione looked down at her sandwich, fiddling with the crust of the bread.

"I was wondering," Hermione started. Her voice sounded small. Shouto tilted his head. He was curious as to what had made her shy all of a sudden. "Would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me sometime?" She looked up at him with expecting eyes. Shouto gave her a polite smile in return.

"Hogsmeade is next to Hogwarts, isn't it?" She nodded. "I don't see why we can't. So long as we have permission to go there." A smile split across the girl's face. A pretty blush bloomed across her cheeks once again. Shouto couldn't help the minute smile that formed on his lips as she tried to hide her face behind her sandwich. While Hermione's eyes were scrunched closed with light laughter, he spared a glance to Harry and Sirius.

Sirius seemed lost in whatever it was that he was talking about. Even from their distance, Shouto was able to spot the dull glaze over the Animagus' grey eyes. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to be glaring in their general direction. Shouto tried to follow the other's line of sight, but he couldn't explain why he thought it lead to Hermione. "Hermione? Did something happen between you and Harry? I think he's glaring at you." Hermione's eyes turned from clouded to steady instantly. She raised an eyebrow, clearly curious as to what he meant.

"I've barely spoken with him today, besides making sure he didn't yell at you unwarranted." He inwardly frowned at her response. Surely there must be something more for Harry to be sending such an intense glare at her. When his mind drew a blank, Shouto shrugged.

"I must have imagined it. My perception is a little off at the moment." Hermione gave a nod of understanding. Both of them dropped the subject as Ginny returned victorious from her escapades.

* * *

The sun setting outside the kitchen windows basked the room in a warm orange glow. For once, the fire wasn't lit; instead, the sun's rays warmed the room. After the morning's events, Harry had attempted to keep an eye on Shouto. He was determined to prove to his friends that there was something strange about the boy. Unfortunately, Mrs Weasley had sent him off to different tasks from everyone else, meaning Harry had no way of observing the other through the day. At lunch, he'd kept a close eye on the other while talking to Sirius. His godfather appeared to like the boy; When Harry had asked about him at lunch, Sirius had spoken highly of him. He'd explained that Shouto was from a wealthy, half-blood family. His mother had been a witch but had gone insane after a severe accident. His father was a strong-headed Muggle who hated the Wizarding World. In a way, Harry had sympathised with him, but he still couldn't explain why the thought of Shouto left his shoulders tense and his senses on high alert. He always made a point of not ignoring his instincts. He was snapped from his musings when the irritating Japanese accent reached his ears. "Sirius? I'm not sure I understand this question?" He watched as his godfather shuffled over to sit next to Shouto and read the question on his scroll of parchment.

After a moment, Sirius chuckled. "It's asking you to describe and explain the abilities of a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Remus just wanted to make you struggle by wording the question horribly." Shouto nodded, not acknowledging the second half in favour of answering the question. Sirius didn't seem perturbed by that. Harry dropped his eyes to the newspaper on the table in front of him. For a few more minutes, he was able to focus on the words before him.

Distantly, there was a quiet squeak of the front door opening. Harry looked up from his paper after another few seconds. A hopeful part of his mind perked up at the idea of it being Dumbledore who'd entered the house. Another part of him disagreed; why would Dumbledore come to see him if he'd been avoiding him all summer? The kitchen door swung open. Standing there was Professor Snape. Harry felt anger well up inside of him. Why were the Order trusting Snape when he was working for Voldemort? The teacher's eyes focused on Shouto. The teen was still writing and made no move to acknowledge Snape's presence. When his quill finally stopped moving, Shouto turned to face Snape as if he'd known the other had been there the entire time. "Your homeroom teacher asked me to deliver a message. Perhaps we should go to another room." Snape's low, drawling voice drew a frown to Harry's face. Shouto had kept his face blank. Harry thought he saw something akin to concern flicker in the teen's eyes, but it passed so quick he couldn't be sure.

"Has something happened?" Shouto's voice was at a careful level. As he spoke, Harry couldn't help the connections he made between Shouto and Snape. They both had black hair that was longer than the average length; Both wore blank expressions and spoke in monotones. The only difference he could find was their eye colour. Snape nodded in response to Shouto's question. Sirius glanced at Shouto in concern as the other stood to leave the room.

Once the two had left the room, Harry quickly got up, mumbling something about the bathroom while leaving. Determination filled him. He needed to know if Shouto was going to betray the Order like Snape was likely already doing. He shuffled silently along the corridor, heading for the drawing-room. The door was ajar, and he could hear small murmurings beyond it. "So what's the problem?" It was Shouto who started the conversation. Harry would have looked into the room, but he was afraid of being seen so early on.

"Voldemort has become aware of the League's actions in Japan." The voice was deep and gruff. It wasn't anything like Shouto or Snape. That would have to mean that whoever was in that room was someone trusted by Dumbledore. He quickly guessed that they were another spy. "Rumours on the street suggest that he's trying to recruit them. Perhaps he thinks he can use them to take out Japanese defences while he wipes out the English ones." Harry bit back a gasp. To him, it sounded like the person speaking was from within the ranks of this 'League'. He continued listening. If they revealed anything useful, he would be able to figure out what they were planning.

"Do we know if the Nomu are magic resistant? I know they're powerful in their own right, but we don't know how well magic will work on them." Shouto had spoken up after a tense moment of silence. Harry had no idea what a Nomu could be, but it wasn't a magical creature.

"We don't know, as of yet. The Nomu we have in our possession isn't, but we have no way of testing the others." Harry frowned. He started making a list of spells that might work against those Nomu if they weren't magic resistant.

"So, chances are, I'm going to end up going all out if there's a big battle? I'm nowhere near my father or All Might's level. I could never hope of going up against them on my own." Before Harry had the chance of hearing the reply, the sound of the kitchen door opening drew him away from the conversation. He made it to the stairs before he spotted Ron leaving the kitchen. The two locked eyes. Ron gave his best friend a raised eyebrow, a silent question.

"I'll tell you later." Harry quickly whispered before slipping past the ginger-haired boy and back into the kitchen.

* * *

"If it comes down to it, reinforcements will be called in. We won't leave you to protect Harry or Hogwarts on your own." Severus said, showing the most emotion since the conversation had started. He sighed. The revelation was Voldemort may end up joining forces with the League of Villains was a worrying thought. Shouto found the emotion in Severus' voice was far more concerning than the monotone the man usually spoke in.

"I thought you didn't like the boy?" Aizawa had flopped down in a mouldy armchair. The ponytail his teacher's hair was tied up in was messy and had left a few strands framing his face. He was wearing his usual hero suit, capture weapon hiding the lower half of his face.

"I do, but only because I hated his father." Severus' voice snapped back to monotone. Shouto looked over to where the potions teacher had sat in another armchair. He was tense, and his face controlled. He didn't need to look to know that Aizawa saw it too. Quickly he drove the conversation back to the more concerning topic.

"So, Sensei? I'm aware that you said the word on the street, but isn't that information harder to come by than just listening?" Aizawa switched from looking at Severus to Shouto. He chuckled and nodded.

"The Commission had Hawks infiltrate the League. I'm not entirely sure why they picked him and not a hero less known, but none the less. He's got close to one of the main members of the League and is collecting information from them." Aizawa sat forward slightly and gave Shouto a look. He nodded for the other to continue, ready for whatever erudition Aizawa was about to reveal. "We have reason to believe that the person giving the information isn't a villain, at least, not entirely. They're just using the League as a means to an end and has no opposition to handing out critical data to the right people." An inward frown manifested at Shouto's confusion. He couldn't think of any member that may act that way. Furthermore, he couldn't understand why the number two hero would put himself at risk like that. The idea that Hawks was risking his life like that left his gut tied tight.

"Who?" He gave his homeroom teacher a fixed look. If Aizawa didn't have that knowledge, Shouto would be travelling back to Japan to find out himself. He paused his thoughts. He was confused as to why he was acting so overprotective of a hero that could most definitely handle himself.

"Dabi." In a way, Shouto knew he'd been expecting that answer. He took a moment to process the answer, even if he already had. It made sense, though. Dabi held an unbridled hatred for his father and hadn't cared about anything else as far as the heroes were aware.

Severus looked between the two heroes with confusion written on his face as if with a permanent marker. "Okay, let me get this right. Dabi, a villain, but not a villain, is giving us information to take out the League. Along with that information is the revelation that Voldemort has been trying to join forces with the League to use their Nomu as a defence against a magic-reliant school." All three sat in silence, looking between each other. Fear slowly started to form in Shouto's mind. Having it summarised like that, it dug the danger of this mission right down to his core. Severus finally released a sigh and slumped back from his stiff position in the plush armchair. "I feared that was the truth." Shouto nodded along solemnly.

"Shouto, Harry and his friends are going to need some hand-to-hand combat training if they want to go up against the League." Aizawa gave Shouto a stern look. He knew what that look meant. It was the same look he gave everyone before a test, encouraging everyone to do their best, but also not expecting anything less than perfect.

"Dumbledore had informed me that the Ministry are deciding to appoint a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher themselves. If what Dumbledore suggests is true, that teacher won't be teaching them any spells." Severus rested his elbows on the arms of his armchair, entwining his fingers and resting them under his chin. Shouto couldn't help but think he looked a lot like a classic villain from films before quirks were a thing. "The trio may be inclined to begin some kind of club to learn those spells. Perhaps, if you're good enough friends with them by then, you can join them and suggest some hand-to-hand combat." The idea was a good one, but it relied on the proposition that one of the three would think to start that club in the first place. Shouto figured it would either be Hermione or Harry to do so.

"I promise to ensure they have the training they need. Most of the League rely on close combat for their quirks to be effective; something as straightforward as a well-placed punch would work favourably against them." Both teachers gave nods of understanding at his comment.

Aizawa stood and dusted the mould off of his hero suit. "I have to get back to Japan before the students burn the dorms to the ground. I'll have Bakugou write to you about any updates from the League's position in the upcoming war." Aizawa dipped into a slight bow to Severus. The Wizard nodded, quirking his lips up into a minute smile. The two adults made their way to the front door. Shouto watched from the drawing-room doorway when he realised he had a final question for his homeroom teacher.

" _Sensei. Have Midoriya and Katsuki gotten into any recent fights that they may not have mentioned in their letters?"_ Aizawa turned to look as his student. There was a tired form of amusement in his eyes.

" _Surprisingly, no. Despite the proximity, they've been doing well._ " Shouto released a small sigh and nodded. He stepped out of the doorway and bowed to his teacher. Once Severus and Aizawa were out of the front door, Shouto turned and snuck back towards the kitchen. Once he was past Mrs Black's portrait, he sped up a bit.

From the kitchen drifted a distinct scent. Gently, he pushed the door open and slipped into the room. At the table sat everyone, already piling noodles, sauce and sides onto their plates or bowls. Shouto fought back the grin at how domestic everything looked. Ginny looked up and gave him a warm greeting, inviting him to sit next to her. He took the offer and moved to the other side of the table to sit beside her. "Hey, Shouto! Mum said this was your favourite food! What exactly is it?" Ron inquired around a mouthful of noodles and sauce.

With a bowl in hand, Shouto began scooping noodles into it. "It's cold soba." He gave the red-haired male a grin. Ron watched as he skillfully piled noodles into his bowl before setting it down in front of himself. He could see several people going to question why he wasn't taking anything else. He picked up another bowl and poured some of the sauce into it, then the third bowl with some of the sides. "There's no specific right or wrong way to eat it, but I prefer to eat it the way my mother taught me how to." He took some of the noodles around a set of chopsticks and gently dunked them in the sauce before placing them in his mouth.

"Is that the normal way of eating it?" Ginny wondered aloud. She seemed genuinely interested in finding out more about his culture. 

"Not always. Many people eat it differently as far as I'm aware. There's no set way to eat anything." He took another bite then paused, reaching for the chilli powder. After dating Katsuki for as long as he had, he'd developed a love for spicy food that could only be rivalled by his boyfriend.

For the rest of the meal, Shouto was aware of Harry watching him every so often. At one point he'd attempted to catch the other's eyes, but he'd looked away before he could. He figured he could confront Harry later in the evening. "Shouto," Remus spoke up from the other end of the table around the time that everyone was beginning to finish eating. "We'll be having your lesson in the drawing-room again. Sirius practically made our room uninhabitable." Shouto chuckled slightly and nodded. Remus and Sirius stood, and both sent their bowls into the sink with a flick of their wands. Shouto could have sworn he saw Sirius giving Remus a mischievous wink as they left the room.

* * *

In the dimly lit room, glowing candles stood on each of the bedside tables. The Phoenix preening his feathers beside Hedwig on the wardrobe coated the rest of the room in a soft blue haze. In the middle of the room sat three friends. Hermione had a book in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. Her hair was brushed back into a ponytail. The jacket she was wearing was light pink. Harry recognised it as the same one she'd worn during their third-year adventure. Ron had a few rolls of parchment laid out in front of him, all of them untouched. Harry had nothing in front of him. He was wearing one of the knitted jumpers Mrs Weasley had made him; it was one of the few clothes that fit him. "Hey, guys?" Harry started. He wasn't sure how to bring the topic up when his friends seemed to trust Shouto. "Have you ever noticed anything strange about Shouto?" He looked up to his friends, hoping that he didn't have to break the news to them that Shouto was a spy.

"Not really? Other than the fact that Dumbledore brought him here despite wanting to keep all kids out of the Order..." Ron trailed off as if he wasn't sure what to think of the information he had. Harry looked to Hermione who only carried a look of defiance on her face.

"That in itself is strange, but Mrs Weasley said that the Order is friends with his parents." Hermione seemed exasperated. Perhaps his interrogation of who Shouto was the night before had made her wary of his opinions.

"But Dumbledore and the Order also trust Snape, and we know he's probably a spy for Voldemort. Is it possible that he is as well?" Ron seemed shocked like he hadn't thought of that before. A voice, surprisingly loud in the back of Harry's mind, made a snipe quip that Ron didn't do much thinking in the first place.

Hermione placed a bookmark between the pages of her book and closed it. She then moved it off of her lap and moved forward to speak in a lower tone. "Harry, I know you're wary of Shouto because you don't know him, but not everyone is working for Voldemort." Harry sighed in annoyance at her response. He'd hoped she would have believed him.

"Hermione. I want to believe he's a good person-"

"So why don't you?" She cut him off, but Harry just carried on.

"But when Shouto went to speak to Snape earlier, I overheard them talking about this group of wizards in Japan that are an anti-government movement. They have this weapon that's magic proof. Voldemort is trying to recruit them to use that weapon. I tried to get a look at who they were talking with, but I couldn't see him. whoever it was, was part of that group, I think." Harry finally sat back, finishing what he hoped was a good explanation of what he'd overheard. Hermione was the one better with words. He could never find the right words for what he was trying to say. The revelation made Hermione fall silent. She sat in shock, completely speechless. Ron also stopped mulling over blank parchment to look at Harry in amazement. He released a breath when he saw the understanding in their eyes.

"Harry, I-" Hermione didn't seem to know what to say. Her face was pale.

"Bloody hell mate. I don't think you could have ever get that more wrong!" Ron chuckled. Harry furrowed his eyebrows in unhidden confusion. He didn't understand how Ron could be so confident that he was wrong. What he'd heard had suggested that Shouto may be working with Voldemort. "What did they call this group?"

"Uh, the 'League'." He raised his fingers to do air quotations as he said 'League'. There was amusement in Ron's eyes. He turned to face Hermione and was only slightly reassured when he saw the confusion on her face that likely matched his own.

"Yeah? He and Ginny are on pretty good terms. She knows more about him than any of us, including some events that have happened in his past. Quite a few of those are the fact that the 'League of Villains' as they're known, hate his school and have tried to kill his class several times. I doubt he'd be on the same side as someone who wants to kill all of his friends." Harry blinked in shock. He knew his jaw was hanging low, ready to catch any flies that may be in the room. Hermione also seemed to be shocked.

"So he may be one person we can relate to the most?" Hermione started slowly. She seemed unsure of herself. Ron nodded at her question. Harry was shocked. The voice returned, chastising him for underestimating his best friend. "How did Ginny find out all of that?" Hermione looked betrayed for a split moment, but it passed before Harry could process what that may have meant.

"He snapped at her when she first asked about his scar, but later he apologised and explained how he'd gotten it. I only know that because she came to me in a state of shock. She didn't tell me that, but after that, she shared most of what he told her with me." Ron had a smug smirk on his lips. For a moment, Harry felt the urge to slap it away, but he quickly fought the thought down, back into the depths of his mind.

The three fell into normal conversation after that. Hermione quickly found out that neither Harry or Ron had done the summer work and immediately began lecturing them to get on it.

When Shouto returned from his lessons, he gave them questioning looks when they fell silent at his presence. "Do you need any help with Homework? We're doing some now since these two idiots forgot to do their summer work before now." Hermione grinned up at him. He looked mildly shocked at the offer as if he hadn't expected them to offer at all. Harry had swiftly figured out that the taller teen didn't express his emotions on his face. Instead, to know what he was feeling, Harry had to look carefully into the other's eyes to see the minute shifts that indicated what he was feeling.

"Sure, why not." He sat down between Hermione and Harry, giving both of them polite smiles.

In the time that the four of them were working, Harry discovered that Shouto was an academic genius, and he preferred to work in silence. Between his friend's loud chatter and Shouto's quiet concentration, Harry found himself letting down his defences. With the confirmation that Shouto wasn't a threat to him or his friends, he was entirely relaxed sitting next to the Japanese boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this ending was really abrupt but I got to where I wanted the story to be for once and I didn't know how to finish it so...
> 
> World-Building:  
> I think Ginny and Ron would be super close since they're the closest to each other's ages. Because of that, she would most likely tell Ron about Shouto's problems to get a little advice on how to handle them. I don't think she would have told him about the scar as that's something Shouto is very private about (he's only explicitly told Midoriya (I think)).  
> I know Remus and Sirius are not together in cannon but I think they would be the kind of friends that act like they're dating even when they're not. This would likely include hand-holding, hugging and perhaps cheek-kisses.
> 
> I won't gloss over it; In this fanfic, I HC Endeavour to be an abusive ass. What he does is wrong and should not be reformed as easily as it was in the series. Shouto would also have some mental issues that aren't addressed in the series, but I don't feel like I'm knowledgable enough in that department to accurately portray them.
> 
> I made a running commentary of me writing this (optional read):
> 
> -I'm incapable of writing what I'm trying to achieve with this damn plotline, but I will make it happen... hopefully.  
> -God, it's so obvious but Shouto is an oblivious idiot!  
> -It is ridiculous how long I've spent trying to make everything seem completely obvious but also really vague for this entire section. For someone who knows what is being spoken about, it would be so obvious but also unnecessarily vague. This is so annoying!  
> -If Harry had stuck around for just a few seconds longer, half of the plot could have been avoided.  
> -I have no idea what Cold Soba tastes or smells like so I don't know how to describe it! How do I do this?!  
> -Pro-tip for writing in the Active Tense instead of Passive Tense, try rewriting your sentence essentially backwards. You need to make the second subject the first subject, even if that's not the way you want to write it because sometimes that is the correct way of writing that sentence. (Also means you don't need to pay for Grammarly to tell you how to write an Active sentence.)  
> -As I've recently started watching Sanders Sides, all I can imagine is Ron yelling Deceit in Logan's voice when Harry proposes Shouto being a spy XD


End file.
